


Don't Cross a Ross

by AvixiLynn91



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Arguing, Chloe loves Cutter, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Matchmaker Sully and Chloe, Mysterious Past, Nadine refuses to be cute with Sam, Nathan Drake - Freeform, Past Abuse, Rating May Change, Sex with love, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Smart ass jokes, Strong male character supporting strong female character, Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-05-03 20:50:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 90,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14577405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvixiLynn91/pseuds/AvixiLynn91
Summary: Taking place approx. 2 months after the events of Lost Legacy, Sam and Nadine are convinced they've seen more than enough of each other to last them a lifetime. A select group of people disagree.





	1. Along came a Sam

**Author's Note:**

> *INSPIRED BY "Only Treasure", by the lovely Amberstarry! PLEASE read that fic, it deserves a lot of credit and love!*  
> My first Uncharted Fanfic! I'm excited! ^_^ This is a Sam x Nadine pairing, and will feature Chloe x Cutter! I will aim for weekly updates, but they MAY be delayed due to my work and such :) 
> 
> Enjoy, and comments and constructive criticism welcome! :) 
> 
> Nadine's German text translated: Let's make history

**Don’t Cross a Ross**

  
Her clenched fist dripped with sweat as it narrowly missed the punching bag Chloe Frazer held onto tightly while her barefooted-yet perfectly manicured toenails-dug into the gym floor mats and pads as she held her own ground against the powerful blows Nadine delivered to the poor punching bag.

She’d lost count, but this had become a routine for them; working out together, building up their stamina and endurance until their wills were unbreakable as their combat technique.

Chloe had insisted on taking the next few months off, but Nadine wasn’t convinced. Since their run-in and nearly fatal end with Asav, Nadine knew she’d been lacking. Leaving Shoreline was one thing, but she wouldn’t-couldn’t ever let her guard down ever again and leave her strength behind. Her technique wasn’t in any way inadequate, but she felt that she was somewhat ‘behind’ her usual schedule. She felt herself getting more exhausted easily, and this troubled her greatly. She fought back against her body’s natural demands, constantly pushing the limits, constantly pressing herself to do what no woman-or man-could do.

She was only in her early thirties, and she wasn’t stopping anytime soon, no matter what Chloe or Victor Sullivan advised. Shortly after their trip from India, they’d met up with the wise American, and it was a bit of a warm reunion, considering the mess they’d caused in Italy. Nadine still trusted Sullivan, and she felt herself growing rather fond of the older thief who was wise beyond his years, hiding his plans behind his smile and cigar.

Chloe’s abrupt gasp pulled her out of her routine for a moment, but she chose to press on, not noting how great her blows had become, and how Chloe was biting her lower lip as she fought hard not to lose her balance.

Nadine suddenly remembered her father’s voice bearing down on her as it often would when she was barely sixteen years old. He would pull her out of bed at the crack of dawn every single day with a cold glass of water to the face. Drenched, she would race outside in any kind of weather, starting with the treacherous exercise routine he’d marked out for her. She would deliver fifty push-ups, not being permitted a break before he would make her run through an obstacle course with the rest of his trained men, always screaming at her that she was lagging behind and a failure….

“Nadine! Stop!”

The volume of Chloe’s voice mixed with desperation finally broke through.

Nadine clenched her teeth and ripped off her red boxing gloves violently, one of them hitting Chloe’s thigh roughly. She yelped and then smirked at her companion, raising a thick black eyebrow, followed by an eyeroll that drove Nadine up the walls.

“Water. Now.” Nadine’s outstretched hand was enough to send Chloe stumbling back a few steps, and she retreated to the bench behind them, grabbing Nadine’s black water bottle, tossed it to her, and she watched in awe as Nadine threw her head back and downed the entire contents in a few seconds.

She sighed, “Nadine, a break won’t kill you, mate.”

Nadine wiped her lips with the back of her hand, throwing a deadly glare at Chloe. She was panting heavily, muscles flexing and unflexing as she wore a now sweaty black sports bra and matching black shorts. Her hair was done up in a tight ponytail, but it hardly resembled the ponytail it had once been when Chloe had met up with her before their morning routine. Bits of hair stuck to her neck, while other strands flew about in the air due to the air conditioning in the gym. On any other normal day, Chloe would have laughed at the sight of Nadine’s sweaty cheeks and messy hair, but she sensed that this day was not one to hold much laughter for the two of them. Knowing Nadine like she did, she knew better than that.

Nadine dropped the bottle down on the mats and looked at the bag, which also was resting on the mat, almost comfy.

“I didn’t say stop.” Nadine hissed dangerously and lowly at Chloe, who backed up a step.

“Okay, I know that you’re usually hardcore and everything, but this is too much even for you, Nadine.” Chloe nervously played with her hair bun, a sign that she would rather be anywhere else than in the gym facing an angry, sweaty Nadine Ross who looked about ready to punch a hole in a cement wall.

Nadine huffed, “I have to do this, and I don’t care anymore if you want to.”

Chloe dropped her hand away from her hair and threw Nadine a look.

“Asav nearly killed us both.”

Chloe raised her index finger, “But he technically didn’t!”

Nadine wiped her sweaty brow with the back of her hand and sighed again. “I’m not letting the next bastard who comes along thinking he can underestimate me, tell me what to do, and steal from me get the upper hand!”

Chloe’s dark, mysterious eyes suddenly flew up behind Nadine’s back and she gave a half-smile.

“Better tell that to him, then.”

Nadine whipped around angrily and was met face-to-face with the bane of her very existence: Samuel Drake.

Sam stood with his hands in his grey jean pockets, which were always too large for him, his tall legs going on for miles as they supported him with black boots, and a single grey shirt with an eagle soaring across his chest. He smirked and waved at Nadine first, then Chloe.

“Ladies.” His smug tone of voice made Nadine want to scream, but she kept her composure.

It had been two months that she had to keep running into Sam Drake. Two. Months, and she was livid. She had barely tolerated him in Belur, and it was all for the sake of Chloe, and her own sanity. But now, she neither cared for the two, and she was praying, waiting, hoping for Sam to make one wrong move, utter one wrong word…and that’d be it….

Nadine grit her teeth together in an animalistic warning and approached Sam slowly, as if he were to pounce any second. She had grown used to his constant jabs at her since Belur, and Chloe-who had usually stepped in to cease and cut back their bickering-had given up at this point and let them butt heads if it meant they’d leave her out of it.

“Are you here to tell me I’m way in over my head about this?” Nadine spat with pure venom in her voice, watching Sam’s every move.

He stood still, those damn hands hidden in his pockets, and he smiled the biggest smile Nadine had seen on his face yet.

“That’s not why I’m here.”

Footsteps approached from behind Sam, and Victor god damn Sullivan laid a comforting hand on Sam’s shoulder, giving it a small shake while he looked at the two women across from them.

Immediately, Chloe ran forward and gave Sully a small, welcoming hug. Nadine and Sam stood in their places, Nadine glaring at Sam consistently, while Sam smiled on like it were a regular meet-up with an old friend.

“Victor.” Nadine spoke coldy, never taking her dark brown eyes off Sam.

“Long time no see, Nadine.” Victor’s words were muffled as he held a thick cigar between his teeth, which oddly were so white and clean despite the many, many years of smoking.

“You can’t smoke indoors, Victor, and this is my gym, and as much as I like you, you can’t smoke in here.”

Sully’s lower jaw went slightly slack, and his eyes widened partially. Chloe looked back and forth between Sully and Nadine and Sam and laughed nervously to cover up the strange tension immediately.

“He’s smoked in here numerous times, Nadine, surely-”

“What do you want?” Nadine had had enough of the formalities. She had seen plenty of Sam in the last two months, usually whenever Chloe had insisted and pushed her to go for dinner or drinks out with Sully, Sam tagging along behind them or just showing up halfway through. She was beyond tolerating him at this point, and she was sure to let everyone know right then and there, all politeness and niceties be damned.

Sam held up his hands finally in a mock surrender.

“Woah, woah, it’s nice to see you too, Nadine!”, he pointed up at the right side of his cheek, which sported a slightly yellowish mark around his jawline, “…remember this little gift you gave me a few weeks ago? Yeah I’m still utterly grateful for that! Thought I’d waltz in here in person to express my gratitude!” He frowned darkly, his hand dropping to his side with a dull ‘thump’.

Nadine sprung into action right away, taking many steps forward until she was pressed right against Sam’s nose, her pointed index finger jabbing into his chest.

“I recall warning you never to touch me on several occasions, yet you thought it was all a funny joke and game!”

“All I did was pat you on the back!”

“I still warned you, I was fair!”

“You remember what I said? I said: ‘thanks Nadine for always saving my a-”

Nadine saw a blur of green and black, and she soon faced Chloe, who held her hands down with her own strongly, while Sully pulled on Sam’s arm until he had backed away from his threatening pose.

“Since we’re dealing with a bunch of mature adults here, I figured why not just pass up the opportunity of a lifetime here,” Sully spoke calmly, keeping his eyes on both Nadine and Sam, as if he knew they would break out of their bonds and start battling right there on the gym floor.

Nadine stopped in her tracks, putting aside her hatred for Sam for the moment. She really needed to work now more than ever. She had promised Chloe that she wanted to give more of these heists another go, and she knew Victor was always serious and careful about what he researched into.

She raised her eyebrows, placing her hands on her hips as she tilted her head at Victor.

“You’ve got an offer for me? Or do I have to wait all day for an invitation?”

Victor Sullivan nodded, his foxy grey eyes glittering at her.

“The Nebra Sky Disc.”

Nadine huffed, “Need I remind you, Victor, that all this historian knowledge is still a little new to me.”

Sam stepped in, though he didn’t make a move to draw closer to the volatile woman.

“It’s a 3,600-year-old bronze disc which is such an extraordinary piece, discovered in Ziegelroda Forest, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.  It had been ritually buried in a prehistoric enclosure atop a hill known as the Mittelberg, along with two precious swords, two axes, two spiral arm-rings and one bronze chisel.” He finished with a proud smile, eyes beaming at the thought of the items.

Nadine looked at Victor, a small smile finally breaking out on her lips for the first time that day, and it was contagious enough for Chloe to mirror.

“Lass uns geschichte schreiben.”

“Atta girl.”

On any other day, she would have attempted to knock Sam out, but for the time being, she was excited, and more than she had been in two months.


	2. Cutter

Within a week, Sully had located and identified a point of contact in Leipzig. That would be their first stop before anything else, as the Ziegelroda Forest was 60 km West of Leipzig. The man was an old librarian, in charge of a volume of Germanic and Old Germanic archives, and they were to meet him within a day’s time.

They were to embark on their journey by plane first, leaving America and heading in the direction of Europe, but they had made a small stop first.

It was late in the afternoon, and Nadine had insisted on driving the large truck, Victor seated in the passenger seat next to her, leaving Sam and Chloe in the back. Every so often, Nadine would feel as if a pair of eyes were on her, and she would gaze into the rearview mirror and she caught Sam looking at her. She would glare momentarily, and he would break away from her gaze for a few moments to stare out the window, only to return to look at her a few minutes later.

Didn’t he have any sense of modesty?

….

Oh wait, he was a Drake. Case closed.

Nadine shook her head as she placed her left hand against her temple, feeling a headache egging her on while she gripped the steering wheel calmly, despite the heavy traffic that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. When they left their meet-up place, the streets had been barren, but now, it was one hell of a nightmare as cars stood behind each other, lined up like a never-ending train from hell.

Nadine wasn’t sure how much more of this she could take. She gazed at the apartments on the other side of the streets, watching and sighing as normal people with normal lives made their way through their homes, engaging in regular, normal day activities such as cleaning and cooking or watching a football game.

She bit her lower lip as she turned to Sully.

“You said your man lives closer to these areas, is that right, Victor?”

Sully nodded, a hand under his chin as he looked out the window straight ahead at the traffic.

“Cutter does in fact live here, yes, he said he’d be out soon.”

Nadine leaned to the right, her left-hand crossing over the right, which still held tightly onto the wheel, and she dug into her green khaki pockets, pulling out a cellphone and tossing it carelessly onto Sully’s lap.

“Call him.”

She turned to look back into the rearview mirror and was pleased to see that Sam was still staring out the window his forehead nearly rested on.

She looked over at Chloe, who wore a slight pinkish hue on her cheeks, surprisingly.

Nadine frowned at this, knowing she had the air conditioning on, and it wasn’t that hot on this particular day. She refreshed her memory back to what Victor had said, and almost burst out in laughter.

It seemed that Chloe’s reaction was borne out of Victor mentioning this “Cutter”. Nadine had never worked with the man, or known him, but now she was more than eager to.

She smiled to herself, mulling over the fact that Chloe had a crush, and she let her foot rise off the break pedal of the truck, pushing it along forward when she heard the cars ahead of her move on.

She had been so lost in her thoughts that she failed to notice a speedbump, and the truck rolled over it with more force than necessary, causing all four passengers to loll and roll forward with groans and uncomfortable noises that voiced their displeasure, clearly.

Chloe threw Nadine an unimpressed look, though her eyes remained uninterested as her lips thinned across her face.

“Do pay attention, love.” She stated smoothly, turning to look out her side of the window.

Nadine dropped her smirk, and looked back out at the traffic, noticing that it had stopped briefly once again. Her eyes then turned to the rearview mirror, and this time, she caught Sam staring at her.

“Yes, please do try to be careful, _love._ ” He snickered and offered her the smuggest of facial expressions, and it immediately lit a fire within her bowels.

Feeling compelled to retaliate, Nadine coolly smiled back at him through the mirror, and when the cars ahead of her began to move forward, she didn’t. She stared on at Sam, as if they were holding a silent staring competition. They stared and held each other’s gaze for many long minutes before Sully cleared his throat, crossing his arms as he gestured towards the road ahead with his chin jutting out.

Sam finally broke eye-contact, leaning his head against the window, peering at the world outside like an eager child.

Nadine pressed a bit hard on the gas pedal then, and she purposefully drove right into a pothole, the left side of the car diving forward into it violently, causing Sam’s forehead and nose to bash against the window with a loud “thud!” as the car drove over the pothole and steadied itself back aright.

Sam rubbed his forehead with one hand and cupped his nose with another.

“Wow, still classy as ever, Nadine, thank you.”

“More where that came from.” Nadine spoke in almost the same tone she had back when they were being held hostage by Asav, walking side-by-side with painful handcuffs on their wrists.

Still, nothing had changed.

She’d hated Sam Drake then, and she hated him now. Thankfully, there weren’t any restraints to hold her back, now.

Sully sighed and pointed with a hand out the window.

“When you’re done busting Sam’s nose and head open, try to pull over to the right, Miss Ross, and you’ll see our dear friend, Charlie Cutter.”

Nadine craned her neck upwards, and she followed the line Sully’s hand guided her towards, and surely enough, on the sidewalk stood a heavyset bald Caucasian man. He wore a thick leather jacket and sported a mild five o’clock shadow on his face, with pale blue eyes peering at them. The moment the truck slowed down, the man stepped back, adjusting a back-pack Nadine failed to notice over his shoulders.

The truck slowed down, and Nadine watched as Chloe opened her side of the door open for the man, and they exchanged soft and bashful glances, and he finally slid in the seat next to her, closing the door after him.

Chloe’s cheeks were aflame the moment he sat next to her, and Nadine once again wanted to laugh. Chloe Frazer was the last woman on Earth Nadine expected to react towards a man in this fashion. But, women would be women. Nadine smirked and turned in her seat, offering a strong handshake to the man, who shook her hand in response eagerly and firmly, his heavy, thick fingers engulfing her own in a swoop.

“Charlie Cutter. I trust Victor Sullivan’s already introduced me on my behalf?”

He spoke in a heavy British accent, and Nadine felt a slight connection and comfort to him right then and there…unlike another man in the backseat just a few inches away from Cutter.

“Nadine Ross.” Nadine slunk her hand back to its position on the wheel, and she drove forward while Sully and Sam caught up with the newest crew member.

“I’m surprised you managed not to get yourself shot after that stint that landed you in the hospital!” Sam laughed, slapping his hands on his knees, eyes watering slightly.

Charlie laughed and shook his head, looking fondly down at Chloe next to him.

“I trust this was your doing, eh?” He joked, and she tucked a loose hair strand behind her ear.

“You know how fast news spreads if I’m around, Cutter.”

“It’s nice to know people care!” Charlie laughed and slapped Sully on the back of the neck.

“Don’t look at me; I wasn’t the one who was in the hospital with your sorry ass!” Sully barked out, and the truck erupted in rounds of laughter and fresh jokes.

Nadine smiled on as she listened and observed the trio laughing among themselves, but she suddenly felt her smile shrink as a thought suddenly fell upon her like a harsh epiphany:

They were joking and laughing among themselves because they were almost like family. They were discussing memories she never even heard of, no matter how close she had grown with Chloe in the last few months. They were sharing ideas and thoughts that had come and gone long before she did, and Nadine suddenly felt so out of place…so unwanted in this large family…

Family…

What did that word even mean again?

She felt her eyebrows furrow tightly on her brow as she tried remembering what that word specifically meant to her.

She recalled being almost eighteen and wanting to sneak out for a few drinks Murphy-the newest trainee-had smuggled into her father’s training and boot camp.

They had snuck out in the dead of the night with a few other men, trying to keep their whispering and laughing to a minimum. They had managed to climb a large tree, with a few of the jeeps and motorbikes parked beneath the swaying thick limbs and branches, their feet swinging in the air, the wind blowing their worries and frustrations away.

They had barely opened a bottle, when dogs suddenly barked viciously, their growls echoing in the dead of the night, lights soon blared on like shotgun blasts, piercing their eyes as they climbed down the tree as quickly as they could, dropping the alcohol and hearing the glass breaking beneath their booted feet as they dropped down to the ground and covered their eyes as flashlights shone in their eyes unforgivingly.

Nadine looked up as her eyes adjusted to the light, grimacing in fear as she saw a strong Rottweiler snapping its jaws at her, saliva dripping from the sides of its mouth as it leapt on its hind legs and growled.

It was yanked back viciously on a leash, and sirens soon blasted through the air, raising the alarm. Now the entire camp was wide awake.

Nadine saw and heard the footsteps as they approached, and she held up her arms to shield her face as she saw her father standing before her, his eyes glowing dangerously and menacingly in the light from the flashlights and the moon above.

She barely had time to blink before she saw a fist closing in on her face.

Nadine was startled out of her memories as she felt someone watching her for the hundredth time that day.

Looking at the rearview mirror, she caught Sam’s concerned eyes for half a second before he realized he’d been caught staring, and he immediately turned to laugh and joke with his friends.

She thought she was going insane for sure, but she definitely had seen his worried expression.

She chose to ignore it for the time being, heading straight for the airport, and never straying from the path mapped out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm, so we dive into Nadine's past, and it turns out her father was possibly abusive?  
> O_O


	3. The Couple

  
The plane ride had been an extraordinarily uncomfortable one Nadine spent sitting alone thinking and pondering to herself in silence, while the trio before her continued their shared memories, humor, and recanting numerous near-death experiences.

They sat in a row ahead of her, chattering softly as the lights in the plane dimmed down for the evening.

Nadine chose instead to ignore them, feeling a burning part of her that she knew exactly was jealousy. Nadine typically wasn’t a jealous woman-both in her friendships, business relations, and the very few ‘romantic relationships’ she’d had in her lifetime. She wasn’t possessive, nor did she try to dictate to others how they should spend their time, but this was growing to another new level of annoyance and irritation to her.

She looked ahead surreptitiously at her teammates, noting how Chloe’s head almost tilted entirely to the left, pretty much resting directly on top of Charlie Cutter’s shoulder as she giggled and joked happily with him. Sully sat to Chloe’s right, hands crossed behind his head on the headrest of the red seat, fingers casually tapping against the seat, no care in the world.

Nadine heard another laugh escape Chloe’s lips, and she sighed, turning to look out the window at the clouds and setting sun. The view was beautiful indeed, but she certainly couldn’t say the same for the view within the plane itself.

It seemed as if the universe wished to further rub it in her face of how lovely of a situation she was in currently, for Nadine soon felt a brush of cold air to her right, and she peeked through the corner of her eyes and saw Sam Drake plop down in the empty seat next to her, kicking his long legs ahead of him as he folded his thick arms across his chest and turned his neck to offer Nadine a small, but confident smirk.

Nadine’s natural, immediate reaction was a threatening glare that seemed to say “you’re in the wrong place”, but Sam ignored it and leaned forward a bit in his seat to peek out the window at the view Nadine barely had time to capture and take in before she was ungracefully and rudely interrupted.

“Ain’t it beautiful?” Sam chuckled, sighing in relief and looking at the shapes of the clouds billowing by the window and plane.

“It _was_.” Nadine emphasized the last word, eyebrows knotted together in a frown that only presented her disappointment and contempt for the man next to her.

Whether Sam got the hint or not wasn’t his concern; he just smiled and turned to lean back facing the seats ahead of them, a stupid smirk still worn across his features.

“Hey, come on now, I was just tryin’ to make some conversation; you looked a little lonely here by yourself, Nadine.”

She bit down hard on her tongue, ignoring the searing pain that followed after, “I thought I once told you that we weren’t on a first name basis.”

Sam’s smirk didn’t falter. “I think we’re past professional courtesy.”

“We’re not!” Nadine hissed, mindful to keep her voice down, as she viewed other passengers closing their eyes and taking small naps in the evening sun.

Sam snickered, his teeth poking out from his upper lip, “Whatever you say, ‘ma’am’.”

Nadine felt her blood beginning to boil in her veins, but she maintained her cool and rested a hand beneath her chin in a tight fist she wanted to instead bury into Sam’s face more than anything else.

She mulled the idea over in her head as she gazed out the window, taking in a small breath and instead being met with the over-powering stench of male cologne.

She scoffed in disgust, “What’s that smell?”

Sam suddenly sighed in exhaustion, his hands unfolding from his chest and dropping down to grip the armrest of the seats as he turned his head to face Nadine.

“Oh my god, still complaining, huh?” He growled irritably at her, shaking his head.

Nadine didn’t face him, “It’s making me sick.”

“Okay so my natural body odor displeases you-but back then I actually had an excuse of being held captive-and now that I’m all cleaned up and shit, it’s still bothering you?” He shook his head in disbelief, hands tightening their grip on the armrest.

Nadine slowly turned to face Sam fully, her body twisting in her seat as she leaned in close and threw him the most disapproving of glares.

“ _You_ bother me, period.” She spat out word-by-word, so he’d get the picture loud and clear once and for all. She hated having to resort to such immature, childish antics, but it seemed like Sam’s thick head was far too thick for all the dynamite in the world, even.

Sam gasped in mock shock, jaw dropping slightly.

“Well isn’t that just the surprise to ruin my day!”

Nadine tossed him only a glare and turned to resume her observations out the window with a small “Hmm.”

Sam closed his eyes after a few silent moments of staring at her, and turned to lean his head against the headrest, hands folded in his lap.

“And who gave you the permission to invite yourself to sit here?” Nadine hissed in addition.

Sam only smiled in silence-eyes still firmly closed-as the plane glided through the sky, heading towards the United Kingdom for a timely landing.

“~~~~~~~~”

If the plane ride had been more than unpleasant, at least the hotel was a sight to behold once they took a cab to their resting place for that night. The hotel was a magnificent ten story building, with bright yellow and green lights shining that were shown from a few blocks away in you looked in the right position at the night sky. A few foremen bustled around quickly, ushering guests in and carrying their luggage on golden carriers and carts up to their appropriate rooms.

Once they’d unpacked the cab and paid the driver, they checked in, Nadine barely able to keep her eyes open as jet-lag seemed to consume her bit-by-bit. She was used to traveling long distances by train, plane, or boat, but for some reason she felt extra exhausted that night and was looking forward to a good night’s sleep in her room as they rode the elevator up to the seventh floor.

Nadine’s room was next to Chloe’s, with a shared bathroom that connected the two rooms together with a large, long hallway.

Nadine let Chloe prepare for the night in the bathroom first, unpacking her bags tiredly, fighting back a series of yawns as she rubbed and stretched her cramped, sore muscles after hours of sitting in the same position on the plane.

She sniffed, seemingly unable to get Sam’s annoying cologne out of her nose. She had tried the entire cab ride over to the hotel, but the damn man had sat himself right next to her in the back with Chloe, while Sully and Cutter followed in the next cab behind.

As usual, she seemed ‘stuck’ with the bane of her existence, though she was far too tired to complain about it now.

She rubbed her nose a bit roughly, ignoring the tears that threatened to flow from the force of her rubbing as she shook her head and tried to get Sam’s scent out of her nostrils. It didn’t seem to work, and rather than rub her nose right off her face, she walked over to the windows of the room and flung them open, hurrying in the fresh, cool night air.

“Damn him.” She hissed to herself as she looked out the window at the night lights, traffic activity, and distant dark shadows and moving shapes.

The door to the bathroom soon opened, and footsteps behind her alerted her to Chloe’s welcome presence.

“I’ll help you unpack if you like.” She offered as she yawned and stretched, falling instead on Nadine’s clean, perfectly made-up bed, the sheets caving in around her fallen form as the mattress lightly squeaked in response.

Nadine chuckled and wore an exhausted expression.

“Sure, make yourself right at home, Frazer.”

“Ja.”

Nadine was about to laugh, when a knock was upon her door.

She looked at a confused-yet-intrigued-Chloe, who sat up on the bed, pulling her legs on the edge and resting on her palms.

“Room service?” She offered her companion, and Nadine shrugged, walking over to the door carefully.

She turned the knob and unlocked the door, meeting an equally worn out Victor Sullivan in her doorframe.

She gave him a small smile.

“Has everyone come over to help me unpack then?”

He laughed warmly, “Fraid not, Nadine, I just wanted to wish you a goodnight, and I wanted to tell you to best get some rest early; we have a very early start in the morning.”

Nadine rested her hands on her hips, “Don’t we always?”

Sully nodded, a thought crossing his older features briefly, “We sure do, but this is going to be an especially longer day; we’re meeting with the point-of-contact here instead.”

“What?” Chloe and Nadine spoke in unison, confusion etching their faces.

“Location’s changed, but the guy’s the same, that’s all.” Sully announced, leaning against the doorframe, running a tired hand through his slightly messy hair.

Nadine still appeared to be in doubt, her eyes squinting ahead at Sully.

“Look, Nadine, this information isn’t easily accessible, alright? We need a way in, and it just so happens that I know a thing or two about ‘buying’ my way in.”

Nadine snorted, “Certainly seems to be up your alley, Victor.”

Sully nodded, a serious expression on his face that meant business, “The exact location to the disc isn’t exactly up for grabs, but we have a chance, if we don’t piss off this guy anyway.”

“Well…that’s a relief then.” Chloe sighed, turning her body to lie flat on Nadine’s bed, kicking off her boots and wriggling her socked feet in the air, almost appearing like a child.

“Hmm,” Sully agreed, and then straightened himself from his position at the door, “sure is, but I figured the bride would wanna know first.”

Immediately, both women turned aright, snapping their full attention to Sully.

“The bride?” Nadine repeated back, eyebrows raised high on her forehead. Surely this was a strange dream she was having due to her exhaustion?

Sully cleared his throat, standing completely straight as he placed his hands in his cream-colored pants pockets, chuckling as if he were in on the most secretive joke in the world.

“Oh yeah, figured now would be the best time to mention…”

“Mention what?” Nadine impatiently interrupted, not in the mood for whatever game Sullivan wanted to play.

“Look, Victor, I think it’s quite obvious that Chloe’s rather ‘taken’ by Charlie Cutter, but don’t you think this is a tad over-kill?” Nadine asked softly, gesturing with a hand behind her at Chloe on her bed.

Sully laughed a quick laugh out loud, waving a hand in the air at Nadine.

“Cute, but you’re looking at the wrong woman, Nadine.”

Nadine’s eyes slightly widened.

“You’re not serious...I’ve just barely met Cutter! I don’t even know the man!” She began to argue, but then she saw Sam poke his head into the room from over Sully’s shoulder.

“Hi.”

His soft greeting was enough to deliver the message to her, and she dropped her hand limply, feeling all the blood rushing from her head to her toes freeze in her veins.

This had to be a joke…it really had to be a crude, initiation joke of some sort, right? There was no damn way on Earth…no way…no chance…

The lights above her flickered suddenly, as if to mirror her fear, confusion, and anger at Sullivan. Nadine crossed her arms and glared at Victor Sullivan and Sam.

“I’m not laughing, Victor.”

He held up a hand, “No, no, certainly, I’m not either! But the point-man specifically stated that he wanted and needed only two people to meet with him for the archives and location of the old library.”

Nadine spoke gently, but there was an edge of anger beneath her words that everyone in the room felt, no matter how calm she remained.

“Why not send Cutter and Chloe, then?”

Sully turned and looked at Sam, then back at the women in the room, stammering and pausing on his next words, nervously looking around the room, rubbing the back of his neck, eyes darting around for minutes until they finally rested on a displeased Nadine Ross.

“Well…I figured…we figured…you and Sam really could use a little time bonding and patching things up, don’t you think?”

His answer made Nadine want to grab the large (and no doubt expensive) vase that sat on a nightstand by the window in the corner of the room and aim it at Sam’s head as he peered more directly into the room.

It seemed as if Sam felt her anger all the way across the room, and he looked away nervously, eyes cast down at the floor and his feet.

“For what it’s worth, the idea wasn’t mine, Nadine.”

Nadine glared at Sully, ignoring Sam.

“I’ll go with you, Victor.”

Victor laughed, taking a few steps back.

“I’m flattered that I have a chance to be caught in public with such a stunning, strong beauty such as yourself, Nadine, but I’m afraid I already confirmed with the point-man that the couple he’s to be meeting with is an interracial young couple.” 

Many awkwardly painful silent minutes passed between the four of them, Nadine never taking her eyes off Sully.

Behind him, Sam paced a few times back and forth, rubbing the back of his head and hair nervously. The discomfort seemed to grow by the minute, before Nadine finally took in a breath, eyes darting up to look at Sam.

“Chloe, where’s my gun?”

Sam looked scared, and he stopped pacing right away.

“Uhh…great stuff being alert and all, Nadine, but the point-man isn’t exactly ‘war-zone’ material…may wanna keep the toys at home, please and thanks.” Sam muttered, eyes still on the floor ahead of him.

Nadine finally broke into a grin, but it wasn’t a friendly one at all.

“Oh the gun’s not for our man; it’s for you.”

Sam looked at Sully, all the color drained from his face.

“Sullivan, we need to talk.”

Nadine nodded vehemently, for once agreeing with Sam.

“You can say that again.”

Stirring came from the bed behind Nadine, and Chloe got up to walk past the three of them and into the hallway behind Sam, offering him a small, reassuring pat on the back like he needed it.

“While the walls in this room are still white, I think I’ll go check out the bar downstairs. Good luck, mate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry-if Chloe hears gunshots, I'm sure she'll call security...right?


	4. It all Falls Down

 

“I still see no bloody reason why Cutter can’t come down here himself and go in with me instead of…this…man.” Nadine hissed from the seat behind the driver’s, which sat an already frustrated Sully, as he concentrated on spotting their point man through a small set of binoculars.

Sam intervened angrily, “Hey, you weren’t exactly my first choice either you know!”

Sully sighed and shook his head.  
  
Nadine reached into her hair, adjusting the blonde wig she'd been forced to don for her disguise. 

"This damn thing is getting on my nerves, too! Christ, how it itches the scalp!" She complained angrily, pulling the straight locks, eyeing herself in the rear view mirror, eyes set deadly at her own reflection in disapproval.

They were huddled in a small car parked near a restaurant a few blocks away from their hotel and had been waiting inside as per the instructions until 1:40 PM.  The time on Sully’s watch read 1:36, and it seemed that the minutes and seconds refused to budge as he sighed, viewing the hustling and bustling of busy bikers, pedestrians, and small street markets and shops yelling and advertising their newest relics and items up for purchase. He’d rather be anywhere but in the hot, cramped vehicle, seated just ahead of two incredibly hostile and annoying treasure hunters.

“I told you, Nadine, Cutter had to remain at the hotel to plan our exit route in case this all goes down hairier than we expect.” He set the binoculars down, eyes landing on the small back alley behind the side of the restaurant.

“Still…it’d be a better option than-”

“Look just remember to play it cool, focus on what we came for, and you’ll both be outta there before I’ve opened a bottle of Scotch, alright?”

Sully turned to look at the two of them in the backseat-sitting as far away from each other as possible-and he rested a palm over his sweaty forehead.

“And enough of actin’ like you two have some disease the other doesn’t wanna catch! You’re supposed to be a lovey dovey couple!”

Nadine and Sam looked at each other uncomfortably and awkwardly, their cheeks turning red once their eyes met, causing them both to look away immediately.

Sully rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, that’s the spirit, kids.”

He turned and observed the view before them, and he suddenly caught movement in the far-left corner near a large parked dark van. Once he’d zeroed in on the van with his binoculars, and he saw four large burly men exit, followed by a medium sized man with dark brown hair and a small pair of sunglasses on. It appeared as if the other four were guarding and protecting him, and they made their way inside the restaurant and up the main steps, with Sully watching as they moved along the balcony, taking a seat closer to the open balcony to view the streets below. No doubt on the look-out.

Sully looked at his watch, and it read 1:38, and quickly turned to 1:39. Now was a good time as ever. He shielded his eyes from the sun and turned to the two mature adults in the backseat, before they strangled each other to death.

“Alright, now’s about the best time as ever,” he grabbed an envelope and tossed it to Sam, “…they should give you an old, brown book in exchange for this.”

Sam looked down at the envelope.

“There’s cash in there, so careful you don’t lose it until it’s in his hands.”

“A book?” Nadine scoffed.

“It’s just for appearance sake, Nadine. There’s a map guiding us to the right location of the disc within, so make sure you nab that book.”

Sam saluted Sully, “Aye aye, Cap.”

They opened their doors quickly, and stood outside the car, Sam straightening out his slim fitting light blue Camisas cotton plaid dress shirt and dark blue jeans, which were held up by a brown belt.

Once he had sorted himself out, he gave Sully a thumbs-up, which Sully mirrored back.

Nadine slammed the car door, standing at the driver’s side as she wrung her hands behind her back and stood straight as a board while surveying their location.

“I feel so over-dressed.” She said to herself, and she soon felt Sully’s warm hand rest over hers, which had been resting on the lowered windowsill of the car.

“Hey, you look okay, Nadine, it’s gonna be okay.”

She bent down and gave him a small pained sigh, resting her hand over the back of his momentarily before letting go and adjusting her clothing.

Sam walked over to her side, eyeing her quickly from head-to-toe once, fearful of being caught gaping.

“Nadine Ross…gotta say, you look great in that get-up.” He smirked, but it seemed friendly.

“I agree with him, Nadine.” Sully spoke, smiling warmly at Nadine.

She wore a summer white V-Neck Chiffon ankle-length dress Chloe had picked out for her, with a stylish mid-calf sleeveless lining running beneath the dress, and a beautiful waistline midsection that showed off her perfect hour-glass figure. To top it all off, the dress had a ruffled hemline, and was comfortable, though she would never admit it.

Nadine felt a breeze go by, and she chose to ignore Sam’s appraisal, and instead began walking straight for the restaurant.

“Hey! You forget something!” Sully yelled after her, and she paused in her tracks, frowning at him.

“What now?”

He reached into the backseat and pulled out a matching white large sunhat with a small black bow running along the sides.

Sam pulled the hat out of Sully’s hands, and walked over to Nadine, offering it to her with a small smirk on his face.

“Wouldn’t want to get a sunburn now, would we?”

Nadine glared at him and snatched the hat out of his hands viciously, plopping it on her head. She felt her hair grazing the back of her neck as the wind blew about, and she knew her hair had grown slightly longer in the last two months, and she made a mental note to cut it whenever she had time. Long hair usually got in the way of her work, and slowed her down, though truth be told, she had wanted to keep it long for some time now. Maybe later…

She walked with Sam at her side inside the restaurant, Sam’s shoes clicking in time with Nadine’s black heels, and they were greeted by a waitress inside who told them to pick a seat upstairs anywhere they liked.

The restaurant was jam packed and extra loud-an ideal location for a meet-up…or set up…

Nadine brushed the paranoid thoughts aside and hurried up the steps, feeling a tad nervous, though her face hid it well as she rounded a corner, heading straight for the balcony where she had last observed their guy headed towards.

She brushed past some people wandering about, hearing spoons and forks clattering and clanking on the plates. She stopped to eye a few patrons eating and dining, and she suddenly wished she could do the same and resume some sort of a normal life, but then again, she had wanted to give this sort of thing another go…

Yet again, she found herself envying people she didn’t really know, and she hated herself for feeling envious. Her life had been decent in certain areas, and of course lacked in some ways, but hadn’t everyone’s at some point?

She turned out her thoughts as she and Sam approached a large round table right against the balcony, where the contact man sat chatting on a phone, while a few of his guards walked around and sat about, not exactly close, but not far away.

It seemed as if the entire area was reserved for this man, and he no doubt was special…

Nadine and Sam stopped a few feet away from the table, Sam’s hand drawing up around Nadine’s waist.

Nadine immediately saw red the moment his hand touched her.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

Sam gestured over to their man, who had turned and looked out at the streets below while laughing and chatting loudly.

“Shhh, we’re supposed to be a _couple,_ remember? That means I kinda have to do shit like this, even if we make each other’s skin crawl.”

Nadine bit down a stream of insults, but nodded curtly, allowing his hand to remain on her for the moment.

“Alright, but no funny stuff, got it?”

Sam gaped at her, “I don’t know what you mea-”

Nadine gripped the back of his dress shirt and yanked him close to her to whisper in his ear. From afar, it certainly looked like a romantic, intimate gesture, as she wore a small smile on her lips, but the action was anything but romantic.

“If you even _think_ of going further than this, I will beat you black and blue, are we clear?”

Sam swallowed nervously, staring at Nadine in fear.

“Didn’t need to be told twice.”

“Good.”

The contact man soon turned to face the interior of the restaurant again, and he ended his call, grabbing a glass of the red wine before him, swishing the contents about in his glass.

As Nadine and Sam approached, they heard two sets of heavy footsteps at their sides.

Two of the heavy guards had zoned in on them, and the contact man lowered his shades to peer up at them in curiosity, though his facial expression was more displeased.

“What the hell do you two think you’re doing?” One guard growled at Sam, and Nadine immediately puffed out her chest in defiance.

Sam elbowed her gently, and she dropped her go-to-response, instead, choosing to grab Sam’s forearm in her hands, in mock shock and fear.

Sam raised the envelope of cash and pointed it at the contact man with confidence and an unreadable facial expression.

The guards turned and looked at their boss, waiting for his signal of confirmation.

The man soon nodded and waved them off Sam and Nadine, allowing them to sit on the two empty chairs across the table before him.

“Hello my guests, please sit.”

He spoke in a very soft tone of voice, which would be more suitable for a man of Sully’s age, but this man looked to be about the same age as Nathan.

Sam immediately remembered his younger brother, and hoped he was alright. He made a mental note to go arrange some time to see his brother and his beautiful sister-in-law, wondering why he missed them so much suddenly.

He shook it off as he sat beside Nadine, holding the envelope tightly between his hands. He placed it on the table surface, not offering it to the man right away, instead, holding eye contact while Nadine sat stiff as a board next to him.

Sam cleared his throat and offered a free hand to the man.

“Anthony Morgan.”

Using his biological last name didn’t seem all too unwise, for both Morgan boys had been long since dead the moment Sam and Nathan decided to change their futures around. It seemed so long ago that they had been on the run from the law and the various children homes.

“Smith.” The contact man nodded briefly at Sam, and then looked over at Nadine, a licentious look crossing his young features.

“Your wife is gorgeous.”

Nadine suddenly buckled in her seat, and Sam tapped her thigh beneath the table with a finger in warning, and she instead leaned back and crossed her legs over each other, a faux relaxed pose.

“Nadia.”

Sam rolled his eyes.

The point man’s gaze lingered on Nadine’s form a bit longer, his eyes dropping to her cleavage for a few moments before he turned to look at the envelope that Sam had been pushing across the table towards him.

“Ah, we speak a common language, then.” He reached for the envelope, but Sam pulled it back swiftly.

“Let me see yours first.”

The point man leaned back, chuckling to himself as he reached down towards his right and his hands disappeared beneath the table.

Sam felt Nadine’s body tightening in response, and he gently rested a hand over her shoulder, pulling her to lean her head on his left shoulder, trying to calm them both down. He remembered how quickly Nadine had exploded in anger in Belur when she had witnessed Shoreline working for Asav. Chloe had asked her several times if she was cool, and she had assured them that she was in fact calm and cool, but the second they’d turned their attention away from her, gunfire and murderous screams had met Sam’s ears. He didn’t want a similar thing happening today, so he tried keeping her as calm as he could with the little amount of resources he had currently.

He felt Nadine struggle in his grip, but she soon relaxed, not wanting to raise suspicion. She rested her head on Sam’s shoulder, and her hat brushed his nose, but when the wind blew a strand of her hair up against his nose, he took in her scent, and he was surprised at how sweet and lovely she smelled…Sam always guessed that Nadine smelled of gunpowder, smoke, and dirt, but it was quite the opposite, currently. Whatever it was, the wig or her own natural scent beneath the wig, Sam found he didn't mind it at all. 

The point man pulled up the book, brown and worn-out as Sully had mentioned previously, and Sam gave him a pleased nod.

Sam waited until the book was a few inches away from his fingertips before he slid the envelope over to the man completely. They exchanged their prizes; the point man stuffing the envelope in his coat pocket, and Sam resting the old book on his lap.

He saw Nadine’s eyes dart down to look at it before she looked up at the point man and offered him a warm smile from her pink lips.

The point man tapped his fingers on the table and grabbed his wine, eyeing the couple.

“What do you plan on doing with the disc once you collect it?”

Sam had been well prepared for this question, and he leaned back, grabbing Nadine’s hand and bringing it up to rest over his on the table. He felt her fighting back momentarily, and he surreptitiously tightened his grip in warning, though his smile remained, calm and cool.

“My employer didn’t feel I was at liberty to have that information disclosed to me, but he’s a collector, of some sorts, so you can imagine what he intends to do with it.”

The point man scoffed, “He wishes to sell it.”

Sam nodded, “Perhaps.”

The man shrugged, “I don’t care what he intends to do with it, as long as I get what I am owed.”

“Fair enough.” Sam casually glanced around the streets below them, noting that Sully had moved the car like he said he would, and he felt relieved immediately. He never wanted to endanger anyone, especially the old man. Lord knows what Nathan would do to him if he were responsible for Sully getting hurt on the job.

Before them, the point man pulled out a cigarette, lighting it in a smooth motion, and he eyed the couple as he inhaled and exhaled a thin stream of smoke in the air above them.

“So, where did you two meet?”

So he was resorting to small talk? Sam decided to play along, remembering not to piss their contact off, though he wanted to leave right away, feeling the air about them shift slightly to a more sinister one.

It seemed as if Nadine was sharing his feelings, for he felt her hands growing slightly damp and cold with sweat.

Not wanting a lingering pause to create suspicion, Sam answered:

“America.”

“Scotland.”

Sam felt his blood freeze flowing right then. It seemed as if Nadine had taken it upon herself to answer at the same time.

The point man didn’t move, but a dark expression crossed his features.

“Excuse me?” He hissed at them.

“Umm…”

“Differences of opinion, and no wedding ring. Why didn’t I see it before?”

Nadine and Sam simultaneously withdrew their hands from the table once the dangerous man laid his eyes on their fingers.

The point gestured to his guards, who began slowly approaching the table, circling in on them like wild beasts, ready to tear them apart.

“You two have played me long enough, but it was nice while it lasted, wouldn’t you say?”

They heard a gun clicking beneath the table, signaling a round of bullets about to go off inside their bodies, and Sam felt Nadine tense beside him.

Though she kept a small smile on her face, she reached down and placed her hands on her lap.

“What’re you talking about?” She leaned forward, Sam eyeing her in confusion, “…I’ve just begun.”

In a second’s time that Sam barely could process, Nadine pulled up her skirt, revealing a garter strip with a Glock 17 attached to her thigh in place. She kicked over the table with a leg once the gun was withdrawn, and immediately the guards and point man shot off warning shots in the air, causing the diners in the restaurant to scream as they panicked, some fleeing and others cowering beneath their tables for refuge.

Nadine pushed Sam down on the floor, and she shot at the legs of one guard, and kicked the other to his feet while he aimed his gun at her.

Another goon landed a swift kick to Sam’s side, but he caught the kick in time, and aimed a strong punch at the man’s stomach, causing him to heave and fall to the floor.

The point man ran ahead, gun blaring off once he saw two of his men down and out, and he shoved and kicked fleeing people out of his way, envelope dangling from his coat pocket.

Bits of food and shards of glass flew through the air as Nadine fired after him, eager to stop him from reaching the exits.

The man soon leapt down from the second floor, disappearing down below with a loud CRASH!

“After him!” Nadine leapt to her feet and grabbed the rails of the staircase, flipping herself over the side gracefully, diving down after him and landing on a tabletop heavily.

“How’s she doing all this in a dress and heels?!?!?” Sam wondered out loud as he gripped his sore side and bounded after her, feeling out of breath even though nothing had happened yet.

They soon followed the man into the alleyway behind the restaurant, Nadine’s white dress billowing and blowing wildly in the wind as she fired a few shots, some barely grazing the man’s shoes, and others hitting and bouncing off garbage cans and bikes strewn about as her heels clicked on hurriedly in pursuit after him.

She stopped in her tracks once the man turned into a dark corner to the left, which turned into another long pathway behind some small apartment complexes.

Sam slammed into her from behind, not noticing that she had stopped abruptly.

“We’ll lose him in no time this way, hurry!”

Nadine pointed at a dumpster resting against a wall, and she and Sam headed for it, closing the lid and getting on top of it to climb a wall and hurry after the man.

The higher view proved useful, as they saw him hurry onward like a rat caught in a maze, turning and leaping over obstacles in his way, huffing as he ran into an empty street, heading for a busy intersection full of traffic a few blocks away.

Nadine aimed her gun at his back, but missed as he ran about wildly, and she and Sam ran and dove off the rooftops, landing on their legs after a small roll, Nadine firing shot after shot while Sam tried to catch up to him.

It seemed as if he was going to get away for sure, when suddenly, a car drove ahead, tires squealing, and it turned, the driver slamming on the breaks, and ending up right in front of the man, blocking him from escaping further.

The point man slammed against the car, falling down to his feet, cradling his aching skull.

Nadine and Sam caught up to him in no time, Nadine holding the gun tightly in both her hands while Sam crouched down and dug his hands in the point man’s dirty coat pocket, grabbing the envelope of cash and laughing as he panted.

“You son of a bitch.” The point man growled and turned to rest on his back, throwing Sam a deadly glare, but Nadine walked over to him, and before he could get to his feet, she threw a heeled leg over him, slamming it down sharply on his chest, and he howled in pain, back and head smashed flat against the pavement.

Nadine’s upper lip furled as she glared down at him while he raised his hands in a surrender.

“Least he’s not a coward.” She raised the gun, aiming it at his chest.

“No wait!”

She fired a single bullet directly to his heart, watching in anger as crimson painted his white shirt, leaking onto the dark pavement.

The car door flung open, and Sully leaned against the windshield angrily.

“It’s not enough that you blockheads cause an entire public area to go off in flames, but now you insist on takin’ a guy out in the middle of the street, too? Have you lost your damn minds?!?”

“Victor, catch!” Sam threw Sully the envelope of cash and headed for the passenger side of the car, sirens and ambulances in the distance calling out to them in vengeance.

“Get your asses in the car!”

Sully got back in the driver’s seat, and Nadine followed, throwing herself in the backseat as she pulled the blonde wig off her scalp, turning to look out the back window, rubbing her face, exhausted, as she kicked off her heels. It felt good for her feet to be out of those cramped damn things.

Sully began driving quickly, mumbling under his breath something about ‘young people’.

“At least tell me you got the damn book!”

Sam chuckled nervously.

“What now?” Sully roared.

“We couldn’t exactly…umm, they were attacking us at once, Victor! What the hell were you expecting? A miracle?” Sam retorted, slamming a hand on the dashboard of the vehicle angrily.

“I asked you to do ONE thing, Sam, ONE little thing!”

Sam pointed at Nadine in the back viciously, "Everything was going fine until she decided to cause a scene and open fire!"

Nadine glared at him back, "What would you have us do then, Samuel? Allow him to kill us right there?"

"You're too trigger happy!"

Sully growled in the back of his throat, foot heavily on the gas pedal.

"You lost the damn book, Sam."

Nadine sighed, “That’s why you give a woman a man’s job.”

Both men turned and broke apart from their bickering and watched in awe as Nadine pulled a worn-out old map from the lining of the chest area of her dress.

Sully gasped, “Well I’ll be damned…”

Nadine laughed as she rested her head back against the seat, dangling the map and information in between Sully and Sam.

A car horn blared ahead.

“Eyes on the road, Victor.” She smirked proudly at him.

Sam sputtered in shock as Sully grabbed the map and placed it on the dashboard.

“I can’t believe it, kid, you did well!” Sully encouraged happily, driving beneath and through a tunnel fast, eager to return to their hotel.

Sam looked at Nadine, still in shock.

“I gotta ask, Nadine, what else are you storing in that dress?” He gave her a small wink, and Nadine leapt ahead in her seat, delivering a strong punch to Sam’s shoulder.

“OOOWWW! God damn it!”

Sully laughed and shook his head.

“Women.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got Mr. and Mrs. Smith vibes halfway through writing this :P


	5. Rumor has it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nadine and Chloe have 'the talk'  
> ...not that kind of talk...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Warning!* Mature conversation ahead detailing sexual experiences!

 

Nadine watched with some enjoyment (come on, he deserved it) as Sam limped back to his hotel room with Sully at his side, trying to nurse his so called ‘wounds’, fussing and worrying over him. What big babies, men were.

All the way to the hotel, Sully had given her a lot of shit for killing the point man and yelling to her something about ‘making shortcuts’ and having to flee the UK a few days in advance now before the authorities were all over their asses.

To Nadine, the situation actually went over relatively well, and she did a pretty damn good job getting back their money _and_ the next location coordinates. Could Nathan Drake pull all that off?

She smirked and shook her head, heading to her room for a warm bath before they had to leave, hoping Chloe wasn’t hogging all the warm water.

When Nadine had turned the knob and opened the hotel room door, the sight that met her eyes was enough to send her reeling in shock:

On the bed sat Chloe and Cutter, with Cutter’s large, strong hand buried in the back of Chloe’s thick, long dark hair, while her small hands were pressed against his chest, their lips inches away from meeting…

“Cutter! Frazer! What the hell!?!” Nadine’s shocked, loud interruption broke the couple apart from each other, Cutter landing on the edge of the bed in fright, while Chloe placed a hand over her heart and bit back a yelp.

“Nadine!”

Chloe paused and gaped at Nadine standing in the doorway.

“Looks like I have a good sense of fashion after all!” She said to herself and Cutter proudly.

Nadine wanted to suddenly cover up, hating that she had to be seen in a damn dress in front of everyone.

Cutter cleared his throat, standing up to straighten his T-shirt, no doubt ‘hiding’ some sort of evidence that gave away his pleasure of feeling Chloe so next to his person…

“I’ll uh…I’ll start packing up…Sullivan wants us out of here within an hour."

He made his way to the door, brushing past Nadine, cheeks aflame and eyes cast on the floor, but before he closed their door, he turned and cast a shy glance at Chloe. Her cheeks turned red when their eyes met, for however brief it was, and she covered her lips with her hand, her small smile not going unnoticed by Nadine.

Nadine waited until she heard Cutter’s footsteps moving away from the door, and then gradually dying down as he walked onwards to his room.

She placed a hand on her hip, brushing another hand through her hair as she made her way towards the bathroom and shower.

“Are you always like this on the job?” She asked, shaking her head disapprovingly of Chloe’s actions.

Chloe only burst out in a laugh which she cut back by slapping her hand over her mouth again.

“~~~~~~~~~”

They left the hotel at approximately shortly before dawn, the quiet-yet-distant-sounds of traffic and daily activity still present as they headed to the train station to begin their long journey to Munich, Germany. It would take nearly ten hours to get to Munich, and Nadine was dreading it already. She had in mind what was going to happen while they were on the train, and she was planning to find a seat as far away from Samuel Drake as possible.

Their heist had gone well in her opinion, but she didn’t want Victor to think that she worked well with Samuel, and she didn’t want the old con man to get it in his head to pair them off together again for any sort of ‘special bonding’ exercise.

The thought gave her the shivers as they placed their luggage over in the top shelves of their sitting compartment, Nadine fast enough to sit next to Chloe, stretching out her legs and yawning loudly.

Sam and Cutter exchanged strange looks, but they got the hint, and moved over to the compartment ahead, Sully squeezing in past them and placing his hand on their shoulders.

“I’ll need a minute with the girls, you two already know what you have to do when we arrive at Munich, right?”

They nodded as they headed to sit down, and Sully closed the compartment door and sat down on the seat across from Nadine next to Chloe.

“Now pay attention, because we can’t-and I repeat- _can’t_ -screw this one up, okay?” He gave Nadine an extra long look, and she nodded curtly, feeling resentment for what she felt was a job-well-done.

He pulled out the coordinates, placing it on a suitcase and laying it flat for both the women to look at as he pointed to a red marked spot.

“Nymphenburg Palace: historical hotspot. Usually busy as hell, but not after mid evening,” he looked between the two of them, making sure they were paying full attention before he continued, “…the head office is run by a couple, Frau Lina, and Herr Josef.”

Nadine nodded, listening on, “And you want us to break into their office-”

“Sneak.” Chloe interrupted and corrected.

“…Sneak, and to steal their identity and information?”

Sully nodded, “Correct.”

“Cutter’s more of a match for Herr Josef, so he’s taking care of what he has to do, but Chloe’s almost an identical twin for Frau Lina.”

Nadine shrugged. “What do you want me to do then, Victor?”

He held up a hand, “I was gettin’ to that.”

Chloe pointed at Sully, “He wants you to go with me, watch my back, and buy me enough time to take what I need from Frau Lina.”

Nadine smirked. “It’s never that easy.”

Sully nodded and mirrored her smirk. “Course not, so better get some rest while the boys and I chart out the security zones for you two, but the safest way inside is through the tunnels running beneath the museum.”

“Of course.” Nadine nodded as if she knew all along.

“Goodnight, girls.” Sully stood, folding the map back into his shirt pocket, playing with a thick, unlit cigar he held in his hands as he made his way out their compartment.

Chloe leaned back in her seat, grabbing her coat from the shelf above, and draped it over herself, pausing to close her eyes while Nadine cocked an eyebrow at her. It was silent for a few moments, and then Chloe took in a deep breath, just when Nadine thought she had fallen into a deep slumber.

“Alright, what the hell do you want now?” She asked, opening one eye to look at Nadine.

“You owe me an explanation as to what the hell I walked in on earlier this afternoon.” Nadine crossed her arms over her chest, smirking knowingly at her friend.

Chloe chuckled, “A girl’s got to have some secrets, love.”

“Don’t care, no secrets between partners.”

Chloe sighed, “If you say so, love.”

“Ja.”

Chloe turned and flattened herself on the long seat, closing her eyes and intending to keep them closed this time until dawn.

“Just let me get some shut-eye, first.”

“If you think I’m going to-”

There was a knock at the door before it slid open, and Sam poked his head rudely in, earning himself a death glare from Nadine.

“Coordinates marked, we’ll reveal them to you bright and early in further detail but figured one of you could take a look while you’re ahead.” Sam tossed in the map at Chloe, and it hit her on the cheek, landing on the floor.

She groaned, reaching a hand out from beneath the coat-blanket, grabbing the map and looking at it with tired, slightly pink eyes.

“Thanks mate.”

Nadine glared at Sam, wondering why his hair was so messy, why he didn’t take the time to at least shave his slight peach-face-fuzz, and why he hadn’t bothered to change out of the clothes he’d been dressed in since their run-in with the point man.

“Sam,” she spoke in a soft, but deadly voice, “…be a dear, get the hell out of here and wait until you’re permitted in before barging in!” She smiled sarcastically at him.

Sam turned and imitated her smile, except more exaggerated, eyelashes fluttering animatedly at her.

“Nadine, be a dear and shut up, would’ja please?” His smile broke away, being replaced with a dull expression as he slid the door closed and walked off.

“Bloody bastard!” Nadine hissed after him.

Chloe buried her head under the coat.

“Night then!”

All night long, Nadine sat studying the map and memorizing it, fuming at Sam most of the time…but not for the entire night…

“~~~~~~~~~”

“Are they all gone?”

“It’s clear, ja.”

“Good.”

Nadine and Chloe stood from their hiding spot beneath a couple of large, dark brown barrels, watching and listening with their night vision goggles as a few security guards surrounding the perimeter of the Museum stood and made their rounds in the opposite direction.

The women had to sneak through the back-parking lot of the Nymphenburg Palace, which stood large and menacing, the bright lights both outside and inside beaming on still, bringing life and warmth in the dull, dark night as they made their way weaving through the tall grass, looking for the sewer grates they had to pry open and sneak in through.

Once they rolled and ducked between the grass and few cars spread about, they noticed a large bluff, and a small peek over it revealed the end of the hill.

“Great, now where to?” Nadine hissed, looking back and making sure they weren’t being followed.

“I’m thinking, I’m thinking…”

Chloe squinted in the night, observing the cliffs and edges of the Museum that was suspended almost in the air, the narrow ledges and edges climbing if they could shimmy properly, but it was all a matter of getting there…

She looked up and gasped in relief, noting the hook on a flagpole hanging on the sides of the tall building ahead.

She pulled out her grappling hook, swinging it a few times as she pointed with her chin jutted out.

“There’s our next step, Nadine.”

Nadine looked ahead, following her lead, as they swung their grappling hooks and carefully swung over the dark, deep abyss below, their fingers and arms outstretched and ready to find purchase on the thin, narrow ledges.

They landed swiftly and silently, their dark climbing shoes supporting them as they shimmed along the ledges, breathing quietly while the lights above them blared on.

Nadine felt a loose hair strand slide along her neck, but she couldn’t be bothered to brush it off, not unless she desired a plummet down below into the ravine.

She felt the bricks of the building scrape against her skin, but she ignored the slight burning pain while she heard Chloe ahead of her swing and hook the grapple onto the higher ledge, ready to swing and climb onward.

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten our promised agenda for discussion, Frazer!” She whispered, watching as Chloe swung and climbed swiftly and expertly.

She followed her partner, hanging onto the window ledge as she pulled up her rope and wrapped it back onto the buckle on her side.

Chloe peeked up into the yellow-white windows.

“And there’s no way to bargain with you around this, is there?”

They hoisted themselves up along the windowsill, Chloe tapping and feeling around for any way inside.

“Not a chance.” Nadine whispered in retaliation, observing carefully as Chloe sighed.

“Damn it, can’t get in through here; looks like we have to go through the sewers.”

“Yuck.”

“You said it.”

They dropped down, ledge by ledge, until their boots hit the grass again.

“Let’s look for that damn grate.”

“Ja.”

They walked in silence, the distant sounds of birds and other wildlife echoing in the night, and it was rather beautiful, with the stars and the moon guiding their path above, a cool night breeze blowing every once in a while until Nadine could bear silence no longer.

“Alright then, speak up!”

Chloe stopped in her tracks, looking at Nadine with thin lips, the goggles hiding her eyes, though Nadine could tell she wasn’t pleased or eager to begin the conversation.

“What would you like to know?”

Nadine shrugged, “I don’t know, why don’t we start from how you met Cutter?”

“Long story, mate.”

Nadine’s shoes crunched over some rocks and she bit her lip, reminding herself to be more careful.

“That goes years back, actually, and it was all thanks to Nathan, actually; I was on the job with him that I met Cutter.”

Nadine nodded, “Ah yes, I recall you mentioning you were rather…” she paused, scrunching up her face, “… _close_ with the younger Drake brother.”

Chloe stooped over a grassy knoll, bending down and feeling her way along.

“I think it should be hidden here somewhere beneath the grass.”

“Right.”

Together, they felt along the grass side-by-side until their fingers hit the cool metal lever wisely buried in the thick grass.

“This is it!” Nadine whispered, and she and Chloe pulled carefully, peering around them to make sure the coast was clear.

The sewer grate made a small whining noise as they pulled and shoved it to the side, revealing a long, rusty ladder that led below into the damp, dark, dank sewers beneath the museum.

Nadine turned and looked at Chloe proudly.

“Well, ladies first.”

Chloe snickered, and dropped down to grab the ladder rings, sliding down quickly.

Nadine followed, amazed at what a long drop it was before she hit the water below. Luckily, it only reached their knees, so they were able to wade through it slowly, so not to make much noise as they took off their goggles and turned on their flashlights instead.

They both shivered slightly as goosebumps ran through their skin, covering them from head to toe in tiny bumps as they waded through the ice-cold rain water, their lights bouncing off the walls, revealing ripples and their own shadows as if they were monsters.

The dripping and pattering of water accompanied them until Nadine felt it was okay to speak again.

“So, you were saying?”

“Ah yes, well, I was with Nathan long before I met Cutter, actually.”

Nadine gasped, “With as in…?”

Though it was pitch dark, she knew Chloe was blushing right then.

“Yes…like that.”

Nadine giggled, “I thought you were joking when you mentioned that in India.”

Chloe shook her head, the tip of her long ponytail damp from the water.

“Nope.”

Nadine fake heaved in disgust.

“A _Drake_? I mean really!”

Chloe smacked her playfully on the shoulder.

“You were with Rafe! Are you forgetting that?!?”

Nadine shook her head strongly. “Rafe and I never had sex.”

Chloe gaped at her, “I don’t believe you.”

Nadine gazed on ahead as they turned into a narrow passageway.

“I’m dead serious.”

“Ah, so you only ‘played’ him to get what you wanted?”

Nadine twisted her lips.

“I wouldn’t exactly put it that way, but yes; I pretended to like him until I got his money.”

Chloe threw her head back and laughed.

“ _Pretended?_ Do tell!”

“We kissed a few times…well…by ‘kissing’, I mean the bastard shoved his wet tongue down my throat until I nearly gagged!” Nadine recalled, recoiling slightly in disgust at the few memories.

“Eeek, I can picture that.”

“Don’t actually picture it…”

“Sorry.”

They reached another ladder, which no doubt led up to the main level of the Museum.

Nadine pulled out the map while Chloe steadied her flashlight on it as they studied their steps so far.

“Yes, we have to head up the staircase now to reach the information office. It will be heavily guarded, though.”

Chloe winked, “I was wondering when the fun would begin!”

They turned off their flashlights, climbing the ladder, and pausing as they felt the cool metal of another door hatch. They looked each other, Chloe counting to three as Nadine read her lips, and they opened the hatch slowly and very carefully.

Darkness greeted them, and they helped each other up, replacing the door and locking it firmly in place after they were done.

They studied the room for any vents quickly, Chloe finding one at the top left corner, hidden behind a large chandelier.

Nadine nodded her confirmation, and they headed towards the wall, Nadine standing against it and offering a boost to Chloe.

Chloe stood in Nadine’s propped palms, and she was hoisted above, hooking her fingers onto the vent, and quickly prying it open. She got in and turned, helping Nadine up as they closed the vent door after themselves.

“And now we head straight, ja?” Nadine asked, peeking at the map once.

“Ja.”

The vent was rather clean, which both women were very grateful for as they snuck on their hands and knees through.

“I never really imagined Rafe with you, to be honest.” Chloe spoke, turning back once to look at Nadine as they crawled softly.

Nadine nodded, “His kisses reminded me of a puppy I had as a child, and after that imagery, I never allowed him to touch me again.”

“Right-o.”

“Asav though…well…whole different story.”

Chloe turned and looked at her again.

“I’m listening.”

Nadine sighed, knowing she had no other way out of this.

“We did it just once, and it was enough to last me a lifetime.”

Chloe pushed her ponytail to the side around her neck once it got in the way.

“And was he a king in the sack like I am supposing he was?”

Nadine groaned in disgust.

“You fantasize way too much; it wasn’t that great of an experience.”

Chloe shrugged, “I told you; nobody’s perfect.”

“No, I mean…he didn’t care whether I was pleasured or not; it was all about him.”

Chloe turned and raised her eyebrows at Nadine.

“And you’re shocked, why? He was a perfect Narcissistic Sociopath.”

Nadine lowered her head, ducking out of view as they passed a lit room with a few guards below. The room was filled with antiques held in glass cases that were sealed and locked off. Nadine paused to look at some, but remembered she had to keep moving before they were caught, if any guard decided to look up.

They snuck extra quietly until they had passed the danger zone.

“Look, I just…I don’t know,” she sighed, looking down at her fingers as she slid them along the vent, “…I just expected him to understand me, I guess.”

Chloe tsked. “What part of ‘egotistical bastard’ is so difficult to comprehend?”

Nadine slapped her on the back.

“Enough about me, tell me about how Nathan Drake ‘rocked your world’.”

They both resisted the urge to burst out loud in laughter.

“He was very attentive, let’s just put it that way.” Chloe stated, humming to herself gleefully.

“Oh?” Nadine felt slightly jealous.

“Yes, he’s one of the best I’ve had.”

“Really?” Nadine asked, a hint of disbelief evident in her voice, and it certainly didn’t go unnoticed by Chloe.

“Mhmm,” she began, pausing at another vent, which lead to the room next to the information office, and she pried it open carefully, “…and he’s certainly _more_ than well endowed in that department, if you know what I mean.”

Nadine gasped as they both jumped down and hid beneath bits of furniture in the room. They were clearly in a security room, as they saw various monitors and TV sets strewn about on desks and microphones lying around.

Chloe turned and placed her index finger on her lips, a silent gesture that they weren’t in the clear yet.

They approached the monitors, watching in silence as guards walked along the brightly lit hallways, speaking among each other, gazing at their watches, and looking exhausted.

They looked on as one guard on a separate monitor began making his way towards the security room…

Nadine and Chloe broke apart, Nadine hiding behind the door, while Chloe stood to the side, armed and ready.

The room was dead silent as they heard the lock being played with for moment, and then a small ‘beep!’ echoed from the other side of the door as the guard swiped his keycard, and turned the door handle…

The door opened cautiously, and the guard held a cup of coffee in his hands, whistling to himself softly.

He paused once his eyes landed on Chloe in front of him, barely visible as she wore a black sweater and black sweat pants, almost hiding entirely in the dark, if it weren’t for the blue-white glow of the TV monitors illuminating her.

“Hello mate.” She winked at him, and he dropped his coffee, reaching back for his weapon, when Nadine stepped away from the door, and delivered a deadly roundhouse kick to his head, knocking him back many feet. He landed against a chair roughly, being knocked out cold right away from the impact.

“Sweet dreams.” Chloe whispered, as she bent down and swiped his keycard, while Nadine peeked out the door carefully.

“Hurry!”

They ran on their toes quietly and deftly, making their way towards the information office, which bore the golden plaques of Frau Lina, and Herr Josef on them, shining in the bright lights above.

Nadine hid against a pillar, peeking out quickly and then ducking back while she held her gun with the silencer on, allowing Chloe to pull out the keycard and swipe it at the door panel.

The door beeped open, and the two women headed inside, closing and locking the door firmly behind themselves.

Nadine peered at Chloe blankly while the other woman gazed around the room, heading towards desks and boxes, ready to fish out what they needed.

“So, you were saying?”

Chloe sighed, “Yes, yes, sex with Nathan Drake was absolutely amazing, Elena is a lucky gal!”

They searched the room, looking for fingerprint information, identity cards, and anything else that would provide a suitable disguise.

Nadine sat down on a chair, turning on a laptop abandoned on the desk hidden beneath a mound of paperwork while Chloe looked through desk drawers.

“That’s not what I asked.” She grumbled as she was met with the log-in screen before the laptop could proceed.

“Frazer, can you hack into this?” Nadine pointed, successfully grabbing Chloe’s attention, and she made her way towards the laptop.

Chloe ran a tired hand through her hair, messing it up slightly.

“I don’t think I can, but Cutter may be able to.”

Nadine stood, grabbing the laptop and pushing down the lid.

“We’re taking it with us then.”

As soon as she had tucked and held the laptop under her arm tightly, they heard pounding against the door.

“Come out right now! You’re under arrest for trespassing!” A gruff, thick male voice threatened from the other side, causing both women to panic as they looked around the room for a quick exit.

“Shit!”

“What the hell do we do now, Frazer?!?”

“I’m thinking!”

“If you come out and surrender now, we won’t open fire!”

“SHIT!”

Chloe turned behind them and looked at a thick window bearing some moonlight.

“Through the window!” She grabbed and shook Nadine’s shoulder, and they turned, making a break for it.

“Break it open, NOW!”

Gunfire immediately sounded from the other side of the door, and they knew they had mere seconds left before it all ended.

They ran quickly, Chloe grabbing her grappling hook as she turned to her side and flung her body through the window, hearing and feeling the sharp shards of glass break and give way around her, and they were once again at the mercy of the dark night.

Chloe and Nadine felt time almost stop around them. Everything happened so slowly, yet so quickly; one minute they were at the windowsill, and the next, they were almost flying out the window.

They saw the dark waters far beneath them, and they both screamed, feeling fright creep into their system, adrenaline rushing through their veins as they dove downward, the air flying through their hair and pulling it upwards and back, their eyes widely blown open, their limbs cold in the air as they fell…

With cat-like agility and speed, Chloe pulled out the grappling hook, swung it expertly, and snagged it on a hanging branch of a large, dark oak tree on the other side, close to the parking lot where they had parked their vehicles.

Chloe grabbed Nadine’s elbow tightly with her free hand, while Nadine held for dear life onto the laptop, and they swung through the air, gunshot blasts echoing in the distance behind them, missing them each time.

They fell roughly rolling into the grass on the other side, Nadine cradling the laptop as she tried shielding it the best way she could as they crashed onto the cold, hard ground.

Dust and debris flowed and rose around them as they lay still in the grass, their hearts beating wildly, both of them breathing heavily.

Almost simultaneously, both women began laughing as they sat up slowly, gazing around and getting to their feet to head for their car.

Chloe unlocked the doors, and they sat inside, Nadine still holding the laptop to her chest protectively.

Chloe backed out of the parking lot, turning on her cellphone and calling Sully.

“Sully! We found what we were looking for!” She cried in joy once he picked up.

“Oh yeah? Did you manage to bring an entire army with yourselves, too?” He laughed on the other side of the line.

As if on cue, a stray bullet grazed the back window of the car, piercing it, but not going any further.

“Jesus Christ! What the hell was that?!?!” Sully roared.

“We’ll be there soon!”

Not wanting to explain more, Chloe hung up, cutting off Sully’s next words as she tossed the cellphone on her lap.

Nadine laughed, shaking her head as she looked at her partner.

“Let’s never do that again, ja?”

“Agreed!” Chloe laughed, tucking a loose strand behind her ear.

Nadine looked down at the laptop, pondering for a moment before she looked at Chloe again.

“Do you often miss him?” She asked softly, referring to Nathan.

Chloe’s smile dropped, and she looked somewhere out the window ahead at the dark road before speaking.

“Sometimes. I really did have strong feelings for him.”

Nadine nodded, understanding.

“Lesson learned; don’t get involved with a Drake, then.”

Chloe turned to look at her, facial expression unreadable at first, but then she smiled warmly at Nadine.

“I wouldn’t exactly say that.”

Nadine frowned at her, “Oh come on, they’re both so insufferable.”

“You’d be surprised at how loyal and caring Nathan was.”

“Whatever, then.” Nadine turned to the right, looking out the window defiantly. She knew the Drakes only cared for themselves, and treasure, and she wouldn’t accept anything else. If Chloe had a soft spot for them, that was her own choice, but Nadine found her to be foolish and far too emotional at times.

They drove on in silence for a while before Chloe smiled and spoke calmly.

“Sam’s also cut from the same cloth, love.”

Nadine’s head whipped around to look at her in shock, but before she could speak, Chloe carried on.

“I’m just saying, if you have the chance, it wouldn’t be a total waste of time getting to know him.”

Not in the mood to argue or investigate what that meant, Nadine turned to look out her side of the window once again.

She would never admit it to Chloe, but she was rather curious about Sam, now.


	6. Ballet and Champagne

 

  
Their new hotel rooms were fancier than the ones in the United Kingdom, no doubt paid off by the extra cash they’d gain from Sully after the end of the point-man. Munich was turning out to be a relatively gorgeous place, but they weren’t here on vacation.

Lavish rooms with lush decorations greeted their eyes, but only for a short amount of time before Sully called the gang down to the pub and bar on the basement level of the hotel.

It was shortly before ten, and Nadine began fiddling with her watch while she waited for Chloe to grab her drink and seat herself down between Sam and Cutter, while Sully sat next to Nadine at their round table.

There were a few patrons at the pub, but most were engaged in their own conversations or too drunk to even notice the group, but Nadine kept her trained eyes on them just in case.

Sully waited until everyone had their attention to him before he plopped down a pink and white invitation card in the center of the table.

Cutter frowned while he read it out loud.

“Friday 9 PM, Spring Ball and Soiree?” He snorted and leaned a long hand over the table, the other placed against his forehead, as if he were deciphering a difficult code.

“That’s our way in.”

The group looked up at Sully, not understanding.

Sully slapped a hand over his forehead. “What’s this then? A kindergarten class?”

“We still have to find more information on Herr Josef.” Sam finished, the first to catch on.

Nadine threw Cutter a dirty glare.

“Chloe and I finished _our_ part ahead of schedule.”

Sam made a pouty face at her, while Cutter answered shortly: “It got complicated.”

“Men.” Nadine shook her head, while Chloe hid her small smile behind her glass.

Cutter looked away, cheeks growing red with mild irritation, though he fought hard to hide it.

“We’re doing the best we can, given the fact that you gave me a hacking job at the very last minute, Miss Ross.”

Nadine was about to argue back, but Sully cut in quickly.

“The Krauts will no doubt be hosting this damn party, so best keep your eyes peeled, because you’re all doing this alone.” Sully announced, tapping the end of his cigar over an ashtray on the table.

There was an awkward silence before the group before Sully grabbed his wallet, fishing out fistfuls of cash and handing it over to Nadine and Chloe.

“I heard gals like shopping.”

Sam made a funny noise while Nadine gaped at Sully.

“Best get started!”

“~~~~~~~~~”

Half an hour before the celebration began, Chloe found Nadine in her room on one palm as she balanced all her body weight on one hand, the other behind her back while she did a quick succession of push-ups. Chloe watched as Nadine’s muscles worked and flexed to their maximum capacity, a thin sheen of sweat covering the young woman’s forehead as she breathed deeply.

Chloe tapped on a dresser, partially afraid of interrupting Nadine’s workout.

Nadine didn’t stop the exercise, but she spoke.

“What?”

“We don’t have a lot of time, you should get ready now.”

Nadine growled under her breath, but dropped to her knees, sitting up and gasping once she saw Chloe.

Chloe was absolutely radiant. She had her hair done up in a tight updo, silver eyeshadow and pink lip gloss covering her lips, and she was dressed in an elegant but stylish dark blue dress that rested just above her knees. Her dress glittered as she turned and gave Nadine a small spin, and Nadine noticed she had yet to wear her heels with the outfit to complete it.

“You’re not ready either.”

Chloe stopped spinning and tilted her head at Nadine, an eyebrow raised.

“Says you.”

Nadine sighed and got up. “I’ll be ready, close the door behind you.”

Chloe obediently padded along the carpet, hearing Nadine shifting behind her, and she began heading out, but paused to peek at Nadine pull her dress out of her bag and lay it out on the bed.

“~~~~~~~~~”

“Scratch what you said about my looks; you’re stunning in this dress!”

Chloe’s hands shook while she tried adjusting the lovely necklace over Nadine’s neck, while Nadine tried putting on her second high heeled shoe, almost tipping over in the process as they stood before a mirror.

Once Nadine was standing straight to her full height, they paused as their reflections in the mirror gaped at Nadine.

Nadine was wearing a sea green dress which was slightly longer than Chloe’s, but with elegant straps that wove their way around her sides and around her waistline, almost giving off a vine-appearance. Her heavy make-up and eyeliner brought out her warm brown eyes, giving them life and a glowing appeal. The necklace around Nadine’s neck was a green diamond shaped locket that opened up, though she hadn’t placed anything inside it, as it was more for show. Her hair hung in curls over her shoulder blades, clean and shiny, bouncing with volume and life as she turned.

Nadine turned, admiring how the dress revealed her curves without making her seem too…girly. She resisted the urge to flex in the mirror, watching as Chloe turned and grabbed her cellphone, walking to stand beside Nadine.

“Selfie?”

Nadine smirked, “Just don’t make me look silly.”

“I couldn’t if I tried, sweetheart.”

They paused, putting on their best smiles, and Chloe positioned the shot to capture the two of them perfectly, before taking the photo.

A small sound came from the doorway to the room, and they broke apart, Chloe placing the phone on a dresser.

Cutter stood tall, dressed in a grey suit with a black tie, gaping at the two women before him.

“I don’t know which of you to pick as my date.” He laughed, watching as Chloe walked over to him with both her hands finding their way to wrap around his.

Nadine knew she was the third wheel, but she found that Cutter and Chloe looked…almost natural together, side by side. It seemed as if it was almost…’meant to be’? Nadine never believed in that sort of a thing, but if there were such a notion, Cutter and Chloe fit the bill well enough.

“Shall we?” Cutter motioned for them to leave the room, Nadine walking behind them as they headed down towards the ballroom of the grand hotel.

The sights didn’t disappoint: The ballroom was marvelous; a grand spiral staircase sporting a classical music band at the top, the violins and cellos playing softly in the background while guests dressed in expensive suits and dresses poured in. Champagne was generously offered at the door and by various caterers walking about with a polite air about them, their style of dress and manner far too practiced to feel out of place or phony.

The tables and chairs were seated around the front of the room, which housed a large rectangular table decorated with exotic food and beverages in ice cold buckets, no doubt for Herr Josef and Frau Lina…

Nadine looked up at the balloons and lights and various décor around the ceiling and walls dancing and twisting about as the noise in the room filled up to the maximum. It wasn’t like anything she had ever seen, and she was deep into her observation when she felt a warm tap against her back.

She turned reluctantly and was faced with Sam Drake.

To her surprise, the older Drake brother had cleaned up rather well. His hair was freshly washed and pushed back like it usually was, but it seemed…different somehow, the sides and hairs along his temples not sticking out like they usually had, and his face was freshly and carefully shaved, not a spot missed. He wore a simple black and white tux with a black bow tie, and the tux seemed to fit him well enough.

He smiled warmly at her, but she didn’t return the smile, and just nodded at him.

“Looking well, Miss Ross.”

“Hmm. You too.”

She wanted to find their table, but it appeared that Cutter and Chloe had already beaten her to it, the pair of them getting up close and cozy at the far-right hand corner of the room, almost at the very back close to the restrooms.

Nadine began making her way towards the table, but she felt Sam’s breath upon her neck. She didn’t want to give him much attention, so she resumed her movements, but she was more alert now.

“Look, Nadine…” He began, but she held up a hand and waved him off as she finally reached their table and sat down.

Sam sighed and crumpled into a chair next to her, head lowering angrily while she shifted her chair and moved it away from him.

Nadine watched as Chloe’s hands rested in Cutter’s, the pair sitting side-by-side silently, sometimes looking up to catch each other’s eyes before smiling as if they were in on a joke Sam and Nadine were excluded from.

“Can’t you just listen to me for a sec?” Sam started, but the distinct sound of a utensil clicking against a glass up ahead broke through the room, cutting him off and causing most of the guests to hurry to their seats.

Suddenly, the lights in the room dimmed down, and all eyes were at the front of the room.

Footsteps were the only thing heard in the entire ballroom as a couple walked up on the steps laid out leading towards the table.

Nadine looked intently, watching a couple no older than her own age being guided to their special seats by ushers and caterers.

The man had a shaved head and steel blue cold eyes that were somewhat warm, but also threatened harm and madness should he be betrayed. He wore a grey suit and had the most expensive dress shoes Nadine had ever seen, their shine being witnessed from her spot at the table.

He stood and pulled out the chair next to him for his wife, and no one in the room moved until she was at the table.

She had the coldest green eyes Nadine had ever seen, but she resembled Chloe, as Sully stated earlier on their trip to Munich.

Frau Lina had long, straight black hair, with parted side bangs, almost covering the ends of her thin black eyebrows. Her lips were covered in dark lipstick that Chloe wouldn’t ever wear, and she looked slightly ominous in a long black and purple dress. The black overpowered the violet, the pieces barely peeking out through the dark layers under the bright lights, and Frau Lina’s structure suddenly seemed so…rigid and boney. She had a prominent concave jawline and cheekbones, and the longer Nadine stared at her, the less she began to resemble Chloe.

Nadine shivered as she watched the couple sit down and plates of steaming meals were soon passed around the tables.

Nadine watched as Frau Lina’s eyes surveyed the entire ballroom, and she froze when her sight landed on their table. It was almost as if Frau Lina had been looking for something…or someone in particular, and she had found who she was looking for…or perhaps Nadine had an overactive, highly alert imagination.

An air of deadliness passed between them, neither woman looking away, until Herr Josef leaned over to his wife and whispered something in her ear. It was then that the young woman smiled finally for the first time since Nadine laid eyes on her, and she lowered her head, giving the invitation and signal for everyone else to start eating, as well.

“Man, she’s a sight, ain’t she?” Sam said sarcastically while their food arrived.

Nadine felt very uncomfortable suddenly, but she only nodded while she grabbed her utensils in her hands tightly, not even hungry in the least.

“~~~~~~~~~”

After the dinner session was over, the tables were cleared and wheeled out of the ballroom, while the classical music played louder. Clearly, a dance was in session, as the women and men began to mix and mingle, dancing gracefully as they turned and swirled with their partners. Colours flashed and flared in the room as dresses and suits almost blurred in hurried motions, making Nadine’s head spin.

Chloe and Cutter danced slowly a few feet away while Nadine stood against a wall, hands folded in front of her dress, feeling warm and slightly tipsy from the champagne.

Couples around her swayed to the classical music, their smiles and reddish facial hues displaying their happiness, which only increased Nadine’s bitter feelings.

She had been stewing for so long that she failed to notice Sam walk over from across the room and stand next to her, his hands buried in his pockets as he watched everyone else dance away as if their lives depended on it.

Sam chuckled as he looked on, but spoke to Nadine, “Don’t they look kinda goofy?”

Nadine wasn’t sharing in his round of comedy currently, and she glared as she searched through the crowd for Frau Lina.

She was unable to locate the damn woman, which infuriated her, and her brows began to knot together tightly on her forehead.

Sam saw her dark expression and stood closer to her.

“Hey, come on, Nadine,” he looked around at the crowd to try to follow her field of vision, “…we came all this way unscathed, right? What’s one night of lettin’ loose and just enjoyin’ yourself?”

“What’re you playing at now, Drake?” She hissed irritably at him, wishing he would just go off and drown himself in copious amounts of alcohol, rather than annoy her while she had work to do.

He looked down at his feet, almost shy.

“I mean, why don’t you get out there and dance a little?”

He had half of her attention now, and she slightly turned her neck to him, though her eyes were glued to the dancing couples.

“Dance?”

“Yeah…you know that thing people usually do when they’re at a party or a wonderful event while music plays?”

She began to feel her blood boiling.

“Don’t test me, Drake.”

“Usually involves a lot of physical contact,” he paused dramatically, “…which may be difficult for you, unless you’re using your fists.”

“You sarcastic b-”

“Hey.”

They both looked to the side and found a young man with shoulder-length light brown hair tied back in a ponytail standing close, eyeing Nadine with a goofy expression painted on his face.

Nadine looked him up and down, scoffing as if the idea itself was insulting and ridiculous.

“Would you like to dance?” The young man asked, offering a hand out to Nadine.

Nadine turned to look at Sam, who was trying to hold back his laughter so hard that his cheeks were turning bright pink in mere seconds.

Nadine was about to chew the young man out, when she looked behind him.

Frau Lina’s dark dress swished about while she walked towards a door marked EXIT at the far left corner behind the rectangular table she and her husband had dined at. She had gone through the door alone, which gave Nadine the perfect opportunity to sneak her way towards collecting the rest of the information on her husband.

It would be a clean few second’s worth of a job, and she needed to follow Lina’s trail before she disappeared.

Nadine suddenly had an evil thought cross her mind.

She looked at Sam and then at the young man.

“I’m afraid I have other things to attend to, but my friend here has been telling me he’s had his eye on you since we arrived.”

Sam stopped snickering immediately, the colour in his face draining as the young man glared a disgusting glare at Sam.

“Now hold on just a god damn second here!”

The young man approached Sam, fists raised, which meant it was time for Nadine to leave.

She brushed her way past dancing couples, ignoring loud laughter and hysterical moans and sighs as she reached the door marked EXIT.

It was unlocked, to her luck, and she quickly closed the door, sealing in the noise on the other side effectively.

She was met with a long dark hallway, large dark doors on both sides closed and no doubt locked away from her sight as she walked on, trying to detect movement from inside one of the rooms.

She peeked under the doorframes, but all the rooms seemed to be dark, and no shadows moved beneath.

She soon had reached the end of the hall, and she opened a door to a cold, dark stairwell. Nadine wondered if this were an emergency exit, but she climbed up the steps, careful not to let her heels give her position away.

The top of the staircase led to only one door, which was unlocked as well, and Nadine paused to peer through the glass insert, her breath slightly fogging up her view as she listened and looked for security or guards.

When there was no sign of anyone there, she pushed open the door, and walked towards a large guest room, no doubt housing Frau Lina and her husband.

Nadine paused once her hand was at the door handle. Locked? She hoped not…

She pushed down on the handle, and it surprisingly opened. Nadine’s gut screamed TRAP, but she was far too in this to turn back now. She made sure her ears were listening extra carefully as she headed inside the guest room.

The entire large room was dark, save for a small fireplace in a large bedroom, blaring with violent red and orange flames against a wall.

The beds and cushions of the chairs were untouched and clearly not slept in, and Nadine began to wonder if another thief had broken in, leaving a sign of their amateur self behind with the unlocked door.

She peered in every corner of the room, the bathroom, looking for suitcases, bags, or anything that would prove useful. She finished her search after many long minutes and decided to abandon the room before the couple returned to sleep for the night.

Nadine was almost out of the bedroom when she saw a small snow globe on a desk. It seemed to stick out like a sore thumb in the untouched, plain bedroom, and Nadine was certain it wasn’t a part of the hotel décor.

She approached the desk, grabbing the snow globe, and she heard a fluttering at her feet.

Looking down, she saw a small, square photograph fall at the floor between her feet. The snow globe had apparently been hiding something all along.

Nadine bent down and picked up the photograph, but the back of it was facing her. There was writing scribbled on it, and before she could turn on a source of light to read the writing, she felt a cold hand wrap around her neck.

Nadine was thrown to the floor with a heavy ‘thud’, and she felt the wind being knocked out of her as she rolled onto her stomach, barely missing a fist aimed at the back of her head.

Her instincts on that instant, Nadine’s legs swiped out ahead of her, trying to trip whoever had surprised her in the dark, but she felt a breeze brush past her, and she leapt up to switch on the lights as fast as she could.

Once the room was filled with light, Nadine saw who had attacked her.

“Frau Lina.”

The young woman smirked at her, a hand on her hip, and the photograph trapped between her index finger and middle finger.

“Guten abend, Nadine Ross.”

She spoke in a cold, German accent, the tone of it surprising Nadine, who had been expecting a different voice…more like Chloe’s, but this woman sounded nothing like Chloe.

“Oh yes, I know who you are,” Frau Lina pointed at Nadine, her thin finger wagging in displeasure, “…you have something of mine, I presume?”

The laptop.

Nadine decided to play along, gauging her distance and gathering her energy. She had a feeling this woman was more than appeared to be, and Nadine didn’t want any more surprises.

“Don’t know what you mean.”

Playing ignorant clearly wasn’t going to solve the issue, for Frau Lina’s lips thinned, and her eyes grew dark.

“So be it.”

Before Nadine could even track how it had happened, Frau Lina leapt up, her right hand pulled back in a fist, and she aimed, and jabbed a strong punch at Nadine’s jaw, pushing the woman back a good few steps.

She had barely recovered when Frau Lina attacked again with another vicious right hook. Nadine blocked it quickly, but the other woman turned to her side, and aimed a nasty uppercut to Nadine’s chin.

Soon, the fire was burning in Nadine’s eyes, and not at the back of the room. Nadine raised her arms to protect the sides of her face, and she swung out at Frau Lina, but she was far too quick for Nadine.

She grabbed and held Nadine’s hands down, expertly blocking the attack with her right dominant hand, and while Nadine looked down at her captive hands, Frau Lina’s left hand flew up, bashing Nadine in the nose.

Nadine gasped in pain and shock, hands flying up to her nose, stumbling back blindly and falling over her own feet to the floor roughly.

Frau Lina stood over her, not even breaking into a sweat.

“You’re trained in Krav Maga?” Nadine asked, finally processing her movements and blows.

This woman was something else, indeed.

Frau Lina grabbed Nadine by the throat, her grip extremely powerful and strong, given her thin frame. She looked down at the green necklace Nadine wore, and in one smooth motion, she tore it right off her neck, holding it tightly in her hand.

“You’re not the only Frauline who’s had a military past.” Her breath was warm against Nadine’s face, but she felt so cold as she looked into Lina’s eyes.

Just when Nadine felt her neck was going to be snapped, a gun clicked somewhere behind Frau Lina, and the tightening hand around her throat ceased.

“Let her go.”

Nadine looked in gratitude as Sam stood behind Frau Lina, his gun aimed at her head, steady and strong.

“Now!”

Immediately, Nadine was dropped to her feet again, and she coughed and gasped for air.

“Move to the back of the room.” Sam instructed, watching as Nadine got up and stood close to his side.

Sam paused-gun still pointed at Frau Lina-to look at Nadine with concern.

“You okay?”

Nadine nodded, the room blurry and swimming as she felt her lungs stabilizing.

“I’m fine, don’t take your eyes off her!”

A feminine scream soon came at their ears, followed by a crouched Frau Lina. She rammed her body into Sam’s, her hands wrapped around his gun, pointing it at the ceiling, while Nadine scrambled to pull her off Sam.

She was incredibly quick, and she seemed to know where Nadine would be attacking and aiming for, and her foot soon flew up and slammed into Nadine’s chest, followed by another rapid blow to her knee, knocking her down once again.

Sam struggled with Frau Lina for a moment before she backhanded him across the face with his own gun, knocking him back a little, but he regained his stance and fought back.

It seemed he had her in a choke hold, his thick arms wrapped around her neck while she clawed and struggled, but she soon surprised them both by reaching up and digging the pads of her thumbs into Sam’s eyes, momentarily getting him to loosen his hold on her, and she immediately kicked his elbow with a raised leg.

Nadine tried getting back up to strike her in the chest, but she quickly brought her leg down on Nadine’s shoulder, twisting the heel into her bare skin viciously, which held Nadine back down.

Frau Lina grabbed Sam’s arm at the same time she held Nadine down with her leg, and she pulled it away from her neck, twisting it back and moving into Sam’s chest as she lifted and rolled him over her body and into the air, making him land on his back heavily.

She held onto his hand with a cold, vice-like grip while she brought a strong boney knee down on his neck, firmly holding him in place, beaten.

Nadine soon heard Sam coughing and sputtering, which meant Frau Lina was going to move in to finish him, and then her next. She knew she had to do something, quickly.

Looking around the room wildly, Nadine noticed a shiny object gleaming from a high wall. A dagger was mounted above the fireplace, practically begging to be used.

Nadine heard Sam’s coughing weaken, and she saw his eyes closing partially. It was now or never.

She leapt up with the remaining strength she had, running across the room and pushing into the air after bouncing off the edge of a chair, fingers grabbing the dagger swiftly. The blade scratched the walls as she dragged it down, and she swung it forward at Frau Lina.

The blade made contact with the woman’s hands, and she screamed, cradling her injured hand to her chest, moving away from Sam.

Nadine grabbed Sam off the floor, and he took in mouthfuls of air as they made their way to the front door from which they entered, leaving the injured woman behind.

They leapt down the stairs, bumping straight into Cutter and Chloe the moment they reached the hallway leading to the ballroom.

“What happened?!?” Cutter and Chloe simultaneously cried out in fear once they observed the other two.

Sam shoved car keys into Cutter’s hands.

“Shut up and get the car!”

Cutter didn’t need to be encouraged again, and the four thieves soon ran off into the night, two badly injured, while the other two were left with nothing but mountains of questions brewing in the back of their minds.

“~~~~~~~~~”

Nadine counted off the last two bullets as she fired them into the chest area of the dummy in the shooting range a few blocks away from the hotel.

She hadn’t told anyone she’d be heading to practice, but she wasn’t just practicing; she was letting off steam and thinking.

She angrily loaded another round into the gun and aimed at the dummy once again, picturing Frau Lina’s body in its place.

This seemed to help her shots for a moment, but Nadine’s mind soon began wandering as the gun went off, again and again.

_“You disappoint me, girl.”_

_“Nadine, be a dear and relieve Nate of his gun.”_

_“You’re a failure!”_

_“Nadine and I are partners…I don’t screw over my partners!”_

_“Now you grow a conscience? We could’ve accomplished so much together!”_

_“You killed them all!”_

_“Don’t worry, Nadine, these guys don’t kill anyone in cold blood…it’s not their style…”_

_“This tiger’s got claws!”_

_“Why don’t you just drop dead?!?”_

_“Nadine, open the god damn door!”_

_“A thief? You’re working for a thief?”_

_“You’re exactly like your mother.”_

Nadine dropped the gun, feeling her eyes burning with tears as various memories and voices filled her head, reminding her of what she had gained, and everything she had lost.

“Nadine?”

She screamed in anger, turning quickly, gun pointed and raised at Sam.

He held his arms up in fright, his bruised and bandaged face wincing as if she were going to kill him any moment.

Nadine huffed angrily, out of breath despite any physical activity. She took off the cap on her head, pulling away the protective headrest that covered her ears as she set her gun down.

“Why did you follow me?” She demanded angrily, packing her things at a table along a wall.

Sam shrugged, “Just wanted to say, ‘thank you’, you know, for saving me back there.”

Nadine glared at him.

“I heard you were here from Sully, I’m not here to spy on you.”

She felt her hands shaking as she took off her bulletproof vest and threw it to the ground of the shooting range.

“I’m fine.”

Sam recoiled a bit once he saw her face scrunched in discomfort and anger.

“Are you sure, because you-”

Nadine strutted over to him, a finger jabbing his neck.

“I’m lacking, that woman nearly killed me!”

Sam growled at her, shoving her extended finger away from his neck as if it were a loaded gun.

“Hey, if it’s any consolation, she kicked my ass too, remember?” He argued back.

Nadine hissed and turned her back to him, hands at her temples, pulling her hair slightly.

“First Asav, and now her?!?” She cried into the empty shooting range, her voice bouncing off the walls and hitting their ears.

Sam took a step, but he made no move to touch her.

“Nadine, look, it wasn’t your fault, she caught you off guard-”

“I’m slipping, I’m slipping…I’m a failure after all, aren’t I?” Nadine sighed, lowering her hands to her kneecaps as she bent forward, taking in a deep breath.

Sam shook his head, even though she wasn’t looking at him.

“No you don’t. You can’t always have the upper hand, Nadine.”

“My training was always perfect, but I don’t know her technique, her style…”

He looked at her back, noting how her shoulders shook in anger and exhaustion. He immediately felt bad, though there wasn’t much he could do.

“Nadine.”

“JUST GO!” She screamed, and it made him nearly buckle down in shock. He hadn’t been anticipating this type of an outburst, and he soon felt his own anger and resentment clouding over his mind.

“Just so you know, we all have regrets and things we wish we had done differently; you’re not so special and alone in that.”

She didn’t answer.

After many long minutes of silence between them, the traffic outside the only sound letting them know they were still on Earth, Sam shook his head, and walked past Nadine, slamming his hand down on the table bearing her weapons and clothing.

“Fine.” He walked off, slamming the door behind him, leaving her alone to her misery and thoughts.

Nadine waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps before she wiped her eyes. Once her eyes were clear, she saw the green necklace resting on the table next to her gun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frau Lina is NOT related to Ada Wong, so don't ask me that.


	7. Better to Forget than Forgive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we're getting somewhere :O

The laptop had been more than taxing to hack into. Password recoveries obviously weren’t an option, for Frau Lina had linked everything to numerous cellphone numbers she associated with various accounts that changed routinely. But, persistence paid off, and Cutter was able to make a small breakthrough after a full day of work.

He sat with Nadine at a desk, the two of them going through numerous files and pictures of Frau Lina and her husband Josef. Nothing seemed to be ‘new’ in any sense, and Nadine began growing frustrated. She’d have hoped for a bigger breakthrough, given the way Frau Lina had demanded for her laptop back. Surely she was hiding something within its depths…surely…

Files filled with both Russian and German text were stored throughout the laptop, which Nadine curiously pointed out to Cutter as he uncovered them along the way.

“I heard from a few guests the other night that she’s half Russian.” Cutter explained as he extracted files wherever he could, clicking and dragging which documents and files he had already opened and worked on, and separating them from ones he still had left to crack.

“Must be her mother’s side of the family.” Nadine hissed angrily, her hair loosely draped over her shoulders as she leaned as close to the screen as she could, eyes wandering up and down in case Cutter missed anything.

He didn’t add onto her comment as he extracted a few more files and disabled a security scan and check, just as it popped up when he tried opening some encrypted emails.

“Shit.”

“How long will that take?” Nadine asked, noting Cutter’s change in mood, tension rising.

“Don’t know,” he shrugged, and scratched the back of his head, “…could take another day at this damn rate.”

Nadine groaned. They didn’t exactly have much time, seeing as their identities were no doubt not a secret any longer to the Germans, which meant they had less time to grab the disc before they were beaten to it.

Nadine pushed back her chair, stretching her limbs as she rolled her neck and felt a few bones ‘clicking’. That damn bloody woman.

“If I’m going to be working on this all night, the least you could do is grab me a beer to keep me going.” Cutter pointed at the fridge in the small kitchenette behind Nadine.

She wanted to ignore him, but he was working his ass off, after all…

She began making her way towards the fridge, cracking her knuckles and feeling suddenly so sore.

“Alright, just make sure you don’t pass out at the desk.” She half-joked as she grabbed a beer and tossed it perfectly well on the desk next to his left hand. At least she had her aim still intact.

“Bloody hell!” He leapt back and rubbed his eyes.

Nadine walked back to the desk, sitting on top of it while he worked, her legs resting on the seat of the chair as she cradled her head between her warm hands and thought about the latest ‘adventure’ she’d been through with Sam.

To categorize the experience as ‘crazy’ was putting it mildly, the two of them barely having escaped with their lives. Nadine wasn’t sure they’d ever find themselves as lucky again if they ever crossed Frau Lina’s path. This time, she’d be coming for their blood for sure.

Cutter opened the beer can and took a long swig before he wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

“Heard Samuel saved your arse back there.”

She looked at him from the corner of her eyes and nodded.

“Mhm.”

“He’s not all that bad, I guess.” Cutter’s strong, thick fingers tapped against a few keys while Nadine mulled it over.

She’d been grateful (though she decided to keep that to herself for the time being) for Sam having a great sense of judgement and timing, but she’d wondered if she really needed his ‘saving’….she was capable of handling herself! So she’d slipped once or twice; everyone did!

She began growing upset with herself, but then even more so when the thought came to her that Sam had no doubt showed off by boasting this fact to Cutter.

She bit her lip, straightening her aching back as she rested her hands on her kneecaps.

“So who else did he brag about this to, then?” She shook her head in disgust that he would even do such a thing, but he was a Drake, after all, and she didn’t understand why she kept forgetting this simple fact of life.

Cutter gulped down the rest of his beer, looking at the screen of the laptop, then at the empty beer can.

“Only me,” he scrolled down a page as it loaded slowly, “…why’d you ask?”

This was news to her ears.

“Not even Victor?”

He squished the can in his strong fingers, the can crackling and giving Nadine a headache.

“Nope.”

Nadine looked at the glowing screen of the laptop, feeling a tad ashamed for leaping to such a weird conclusion without investigating. It was a bit unlike her to make a decision without proper research, first.

She propped a hand against the desk, steadying her weight as she leaned back and looked at the ceiling.

“I just figured you men talked among yourselves as women often do with each other.”

Cutter snorted.

“Nah, Sam’s not really one to discuss his feelings or whatever.”

Nadine cocked an eyebrow at him, “Too girly?”

“Yeah.”

They both chuckled, and Nadine began stretching again, but her neck soon cramped, and she cowered in pain, hissing through her clenched teeth.

“You okay?” Cutter asked, looking seriously at her. It was amazing to Nadine how quickly he shifted from laughing, carefree as if he were her best mate, to serious and focused.

She nodded as she raised a hand and gave him the ‘thumbs up’ symbol. He clearly didn’t buy it, however, and he frowned at her.

“Sorry, that witch of a woman just…she really did a number on me.” Nadine hissed as she tried rubbing her neck, but it felt stiffer than ever. She didn’t ever recall her military training leaving her body this sore.

Cutter paused, deep in thought, before he gave her a half-smile, “There’s a hot tub one level down from here, next to the gym. It’s usually unoccupied at this hour. Looks like you could use the relaxation.”

Nadine rubbed her neck, nodding slowly, the idea of the hot tub growing more tempting by the minute.

“Ja, wouldn’t hurt.”

Cutter nodded, turning back to the laptop.

Nadine got off the desk and headed to grab a pair of loose shorts and a tank top, but before she could leave, she heard Cutter lean back and chuckle.

“Before you go, would you kindly grab me another beer, Miss Ross?”

He was so lucky she was too tired to argue.

“~~~~~~~~~~”

She hadn’t ever been one for two-piece or one-piece swimsuits, but she couldn’t help but wonder what they’d look like on her as she hurriedly changed in a women’s washroom before heading towards the hot tubs.

The dress at the party had given her an idea or two about how much she’d missed from her youth, and it made her more resentful than she’d felt in years. She couldn’t necessarily find anyone to blame, as she kept to her thoughts, putting her shoes and socks away in an empty locker as she headed out the door.

She knew she couldn’t have everything, and some things had to be forgotten so other things could be gained; it was all a trade-off.

She sighed in relief once she opened the gym doors and walked past the machines, still sitting in the dark, waiting for the morning when they’d be activated.

Soon, she saw a sign that read: HOT TUBS-ENTRANCE, and relief flew through immediately once she imagined her tired, aching muscles and bones soaking in the warm water. Cutter was right; that was exactly what she needed.

She walked in and was met with the hot steam of the room right away. She took a breath, closing her eyes as she let the soothing atmosphere welcome her.

She sat on the edge of the only hot tub that was on, and she dipped a finger in the water, resisting the urge to moan in pleasure at how warm and welcoming it felt. She would enjoy this; the empty, silent room, her thoughts momentarily abandoned, and her time to herself, most importantly.

Her closed eyes suddenly snapped open.

Why was this tub on and running when no one else was here?

The door behind her opened in one ‘swoosh’, and Nadine turned and stood to her feet, fists raised, ready to attack the intruder.

She couldn’t make them out in the dark, and she swung at where she supposed their face would be. Knuckle soon hit bone, and she heard a loud groan of pain as the dark figure stepped back.

Nadine grabbed the intruder’s arm, and yanked him close to the tub, ready to grab his head and shove it under the warm water if necessary.

She looked down at the man and gasped, releasing him right away.

“Drake!”

Her worried expression soon died down once she had said his surname out loud.

“Drake?!?”

He held his left cheek in his hands, rubbing it as he groaned in pain.

“What’re you doing here?” She looked at him, suddenly noting that he had no shirt on; just a pair of dark blue shorts.

“Why’re you dressed like that?” She hissed, suddenly wishing she was wearing more than a tank top and shorts. The heat in the room soon was no match for the heat gathering in her face from embarrassment.

Sam looked up at her, his cheek immediately growing red from her punch.

“I came here to relax,” he started, rubbing and massaging his cheek, opening and closing his mouth, jaw rotating as he clenched his eyes shut in pain, “… _alone_ , I might add!”

Nadine backed closer to the wall, wanting to be as far away from him as possible, given the accident and all their other interactions.

“Yeah? Well so did I!” She refused to leave, crossing her arms over her chest, but more so to hide her body instead of appearing tough.

Sam stood, leaning over the hot tub, the ripples of the churning water reflecting on his face from the lights within the tub shining up at them.

“I ain’t leavin’.”

Nadine sighed.

“I’m not, either.”

Sam opened his mouth to speak, but then recoiled as if he knew his next words would earn him a deck across the jaw…again.

“There’s…”

“What?”

He flinched, “There’s room for two…”

Nadine looked back at the closed door, and then searched around the empty room.

She sighed, “Fine, but you stay on that far end over there, and don’t even dare to move half an inch, got it?”

Sam nodded once. “Gotcha.”

They got in, Sam first, while Nadine hung back, eyeing his back and taking note of some pink scars and marks that ran up and down his spine, shoulders, and some along the sides. She wondered how many her own men were responsible for.

She shook the idea from her mind, and dipped her feet in, sitting at the far end across from him, keeping her eye on every little move he made.

The water was soothing, and she felt her limbs relax involuntarily the more she immersed herself in the water, but before her eyelids could lower and before she could fully relax her mind and body, she had a few words for Sam Drake.

“Did you enjoy your proud boasting?” She raised an eyebrow, expecting his answer right away.

Sam said nothing to her for a long time, simply leaning back along the edge of the tub as he closed his eyes, his hands finally coming out of the water and resting horizontally, as he draped them along the rim of the tub as he leaned his head back and breathed softly.

Nadine looked at her hands beneath the water, and she moved them through the warm depths, creating small waves in addition to the twisting bubbles and churning motions caused by the tub’s mechanisms. It suddenly seemed so loud in a room that was previously so dark and quiet…

“You saved my life, and I never expressed my gratitude.” He’d skated over the question with a seemingly kind comment, and it worked for the moment, for Nadine let her anger go, feeling it practically sink into the water.

Her calm, soft voice cut through the air like a guillotine, and Sam opened both eyes and gave her a small glance before looking towards his left side.

“Well, you saved mine, too.” She never thought she’d say the words, but Nadine had come to terms with the truth; he had indeed saved her, too.

He seemed rather tense, and she made sure to look away in case she was the cause of his discomfort.

“Don’t mention it.”

He didn’t turn to look at her, but he regarded her pervious curt, short response and frowned.

“Suppose that was professional courtesy, too?” His clipped question seemed less like a question-given his tone-and more like an accusation. Nadine didn’t take to it too kindly, and she tapped her chin with a finger, feeling the water dripping onto her neck, sliding down in drops.

She shook her head slowly, “No, it wasn’t like that.”

Sam sat silently, though he kept avoiding her eyes.

“I don’t betray my teammates.”

Sam scoffed at this.

“You sound like Rafe.”

So he had been eavesdropping after all in the burning ship.

Nadine angrily splashed some water at him, her hands flying up and swiping at the surface of the twisting water.

The droplets flew not only over Sam’s face and forehead, but also along and over the sides of the hot tub, splashing over the tiles of the floors.

“How dare you!” She spat, her face displaying pure rage and anger at being compared to her former, deceased business partner.

Sam still didn’t really look at her, but he was at least facing her direction this time.

Water trickled down his nose, dripping back into the hot tub, his eyes landing on something in the room’s right-hand corner behind Nadine as he spoke calmly and slowly.

“Look, I came here to relax; not engage in this kind of drama-”

She pointed a finger at him, “Then don’t start it!”

He leaned away from the edges of the tub, his chest drenched with water, his eyes growing heavy with anger.

“You beat the crap out of my little brother, twice!”

“You and your _little brother_ killed all my men!”

“Your men nearly blew us apart!”

“You held a gun to my head!”

Sam immediately ceased his next argument, remembering the day she was referring to. Truth be told, he had been more worried about Rafe finding him, causing him to break the cold, hard truth to Nathan. He hadn’t even really thought of how Nadine felt at that time; he only saw her as a threat in his way. He felt badly about the fact that he hadn’t hesitated back then to fire the weapon, and if it hadn’t been for Nathan’s fast reflexes…he began feeling disgusted with his impulsiveness.

They both sighed in exhaustion, getting lost in their thoughts as minutes ticked by, their irritation dying down before Sam heard her whisper:

“Those were good men…good, loyal men…and they lost their lives.”

“You left Nathan and I to die, I don’t think that really pardons you.” Sam leaned back again, propping his clenched fist against his temple, staring at the clean water. It seemed as if his mind was overflowing with thoughts, much like the tub with water.

Nadine’s eyes flashed up warningly at him.

“I was going for Rafe, but as usual, you and your brother got in my way.”

Sam rolled his eyes, “And here we are.”

She nodded, “Here we are.”

The water foam gathered around their bodies as they sat still, thinking and pondering their own sides of the argument and experience.

Sam cleared his throat, “Do you even know what you’re going up against?”

He’d clearly read through Nadine’s thoughts before she could even gather them for herself, understanding that she was developing a growing obsession with ending Frau Lina with a vengeance now.

Nadine shrugged, trying to come off as if it didn’t matter or was a big deal to her, but Sam wasn’t convinced.

“She’s just a person, like you or me.”

Sam shook his head, eyes closed in disapproval.

“You’re still not getting it.”

Nadine glared and bit down the next insult, feeling her energy drained from their previous argument.

“Enlighten me then, Drake.”

“Frau Lina: born in Moscow, 1983 to a Dimitri and Marina Barkov. Dimitri ran for president twice, before he was assassinated by an unknown assailant; single bullet wound to the heart. Afterwards, Marina and her daughter went into hiding, until they migrated to Germany, where Lina took up defense and martial arts classes,” his hands moved through the air slowly, animated, as he continued.

“She became a professional instructor at the age of eighteen, and somehow also managed to obtain her bachelor’s Degree in political science before she turned twenty-one. She was a legal assistant for a few years, gaining enough experience to open her own law firm, buying every judge and criminal lawyer on the side. Turns out, as soon as she’s moderately successful, her mother’s doctor informs her that she has stage three lung cancer, and she dies within a few months. Death seems to follow this woman around. Word is, she’s a ruthless and a formidable foe, and if she wants you dead, well…” he stopped, looking away from Nadine, his cheeks a little pink, but Nadine gathered it was from the warmth of the room more than anything else.

“Nice story, but what’s it got to do with me?” Nadine asked, pretending to appear uninterested and bored, though she knew she had to go along with any information she could get on the damn woman.

Sam scoffed, shaking his head in surprise at her, jaw slightly hung open loosely.

“She’ll tear you apart if you give her any inch of an opening, Nadine.”

Nadine clapped once sarcastically, “So would I.”

Sam raised his fingers, listing them off in succession as he went on, “She’s skilled and highly combatant in fencing, hand-to-hand combat, kick-boxing, Savate, Hankido, Suntukan…to name a damn few.”

Nadine laughed a bitter laugh, “Why’re you telling me all this? To make me feel more pissed off?”

“To knock some sense of reality into that thick, titanium skull of yours, before you go and do something courageously stupid and get yourself killed!” Sam raised his voice at her, the volume and intensity of it making the hair on the back of her neck rise a little.

Nadine rested a hand over her eyes and forehead, rubbing them softly, as if the motion would help solve all their issues in an instant. She knew deep down that Sam was right; she wasn’t at all prepared for someone like Frau Lina.

“Jesus Christ.”

Sam slapped his hands back down into the water.

“I did my damn research the night we were both puttin’ ice packs on our bruises, you know.”

Nadine didn’t move.

He continued, “I know when to be realistic about what I can and can’t do.”

“I can do this, if you let me and support me, instead of making me feel like I’m-”

He interrupted angrily, “Like what?”

Nadine stopped before they got into another heated argument, and she turned to get out of the tub. She’d rather walk back to her room this way, drenched from head to toe, instead of bearing this nonsense for another minute.

“Forget it.”

“Nadine,” Sam stood up to follow her, the water dripping off their bodies and leaving them feeling a bit cooler as they got out of the tub and headed towards the door.

“…I don’t get why you’re so hard on yourself; you’re doing what most women would only dream to do and can’t even pull off in Michael Bay movies!”

Nadine stopped at the door, hands resting on the handle as his words hit her hard.

“I mean, look at you!” He gestured at her even though she had her back towards him.

Nadine braced herself for the worst, thinking that Sam was going to throw more insults at her. She felt it wouldn’t matter either way what he said, but she was a bit curious to listen anyway.

“You led an army of men and organized them to get what you wanted for years!”

Nadine looked at the door in silence.

“You overpowered Asav, took down that proud asshole a couple thousand notches, and got the Tusk of Ganesh!”

Nadine remained silent, peering at the glass insert of the door at Sam’s reflection behind her, approaching steadily, a small smile crossing his features, and it was a genuine smile.

“Nadine, you’re one a hell of a tough, strong woman…honestly, if you weren’t such a pain in the ass sometimes, I’d say I’m very impressed with what you’ve done!”

He had tried. He really had, and she wanted to thank him for his efforts, but it was all for naught, and all in vain. Nadine felt she wasn’t any of these things; not when she had let so many men spill their blood for nothing more than a failed mission, and a lost target. What had they gained besides death? What answer was she to provide their families, their children? In the end, it was still her failure.

“You idolize a cheap imitation of what I once was,” her shoulders and neck hung loose, and she truly felt exhausted, but the feeling of disappointment weighed more than anything else within her.

“…I lost it all…on my watch.”

She repeated the same words she’d once said to Chloe, not waiting to hear the rest of what Sam had to say, and not even curious in the least anymore.

The door clicked behind her with a soft ‘click,’ and she began her slow journey back to her room, though she was certain she wouldn’t be sleeping at all that night.


	8. Little Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Special brief return for Nathan and Elena!

If Nadine had thought her interaction with Sam in the hot tub was awkward, the trip the gang took to get to Sachsen-Anhalt was less than favorable. No one spoke to anyone else, save for Sully trying to break the ice and tension, and it eventually worked, for Cutter and Chloe soon tried passing the warmth to Sam, but he kept to himself, only answering in grunts and monosyllabic responses if spoken to.

Nadine soon followed Sam’s lead, and retreated inwards, not bothering to ask questions or comment as they all were able to locate a cabin to rest in for the night, closer to the deep recesses of the thick forest.

While everyone else unpacked, pleased that they had something to busy their minds with and distract from the growing tension the group felt on their way to the Forests, Nadine began wandering the brushy areas before the evening light faded into night.

The forest was alive with birds, small animals, and running water that broke off into tiny streams, puddles, and a few ponds. She knew that the forest held a lot of ancient secrets, but at least the environment seemed to present a calm air that could come in handy for a future vacation spot.

Nadine made a small mental note of that as she retraced her steps closer to the cabin, picking up some small stones to skip across the pond later, perhaps after she got a bite to eat.

She stood a few feet away from their cabin, watching silently as Cutter carried their bags back and forth while Chloe stood on the porch, casually glancing at him every now and then. Sullivan stood next to her, smoking one of his cigars. Things seemed well enough, but Nadine still sensed something was…off.

It appeared that the conversations were all ‘forced’, and what’s more, was Sam was nowhere in sight. It wasn't unusual for the older Drake brother to do this, as Nadine recalled he'd often leave or get out of the way while others did a lot of hard work and strenuous labour, but it seemed now as if he had made an effort to really hide away.

Nadine strolled closer to their cabin, moving out of the way while Cutter heaved heavy bags inside.

The interior of the cabin was nice and roomy; but almost void of all decorations. A medium sized kitchen held a medium sized stove and fridge, with a microwave sitting atop the stove on a shelf, and various pots and pans hanging on a rack supported by hooks that lowered it from the ceiling.

The floors were covered in white tiles, and the rest of the cabin had carpeted floors. Rooms were picked out relatively quickly, but Nadine didn’t particularly mind where she was roomed.

She ventured upstairs softly, trying not to make much noise, since she had yet to see Sam anywhere. She wondered if he had been sleeping, as the trip had been longer than anyone had expected.

One by one, Nadine gently looked in the rooms upstairs, identifying Cutter’s belongings in the one closest to the bathroom and showers, and right across from his, Sully’s, and right next to Sully’s, Chloe’s.

As she walked further down the hall past some closets, she noticed a bedroom door wide open, revealing an empty guest room: hers.

Right next to her new room, Nadine spied a bedroom door halfway open, and she was considering to just walk past, and lie down for the evening, when she heard shuffling, followed by soft whispering from the other side of the door.

The evening light hit her eyes through a hallway window and skylight beaming down at her harshly, and she inched past the searing light, closing her eyes momentarily, seeing red and orange behind her eyelids as she paused at the door.

Nadine wasn’t ever one to eavesdrop on conversations or business that wasn’t her own, but logic told her this was Sam’s room, and she was wondering who he was talking to, given that the entire gang was spread outside the cabin, and no one was on the second floor, save for her.

Deep laughter resonated from Sully outside, confirming her previous thoughts, and she pressed her palms on the door, but didn’t lean her weight on it; she merely wanted to listen.

There was a small glow within the room, and Nadine quickly saw that it wasn’t from the setting sun, as Sam had pulled down his curtains partially.

Upon further and deeper gazing, Nadine concluded it was a laptop. From her position at the doorway, Nadine could make out Sam’s side, his back turned to her as he sat on the edge of the bed in the left-hand corner of the room.

He was dressed in casual jeans that were slightly torn, and he had on a simple black shirt. He was definitely getting ready for bed, Nadine figured, but she watched on as he leaned back a bit, revealing that he was using his laptop.

Nadine leaned forward a tad, squinting so she could make out what Sam was doing on the laptop, and then he shifted perfectly enough backwards on the bed, grabbing a pillow, and she almost gasped out loud.

The laptop screen had Nathan Drake’s image on it; a video call going between the two brothers.

Nathan looked the same as she last remembered him; his medium brown short hair covering most of the screen, and he sported a bit of a five-o’clock shadow as he smiled and beamed at his older brother.

Nadine watched in silence as Sam leaned against the pillow, bracing it between his back and the wall.

“I can’t believe you’re gettin’ a puppy, Nate.” He chuckled warmly.

“What do you mean you can’t believe it?” There was laughter in Nathan’s voice, and it made Nadine slightly irritated. She had been an only child, growing up, and her memories seemed to flood in as she listened, but she pushed them away successfully, not wanting them to get in the way of her eavesdropping.

Sam shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck, “I just figured Elena wouldn’t want that.”

Nathan’s voice softened a bit, “Nah she’s all for it, and besides, the little one will need the company.”

Both Sam and Nadine simultaneously froze.

“What’d you say?” Sam asked, eyes wide and trained on the screen, not even blinking once.

There was a pause, and suddenly more shifting came from the laptop’s speakers.

“Listen, Sam, before I tell you the good news, I just want you to know that we all miss you.”

Nadine resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Families were so…clingy, weird, and over-emotional. She was aware that some people expressed their love and feelings differently, but listening to the Drake brothers was currently making her stomach churn.

There was mild concern rising in Sam’s voice, “Nate, you wanna tell me what’s goin’ on now or do I have to ask Elena now?”

As if on cue, the reporter’s voice hit Nadine’s ears.

“Hey Sam!”

He placed a hand over his heart and gasped in pretend shock.

“Nice try, I saw you all the way in the other room; apparently Nathan’s not good at stealth like he used to be!” Sam laughed, and the couple laughed along with him.

Nadine was able to see the blonde woman wrap her arms and hang them loosely around the younger Drake brother’s neck, and she kissed his cheek, groaning lightly.

“Nate!” She whined at him.

“What?” Her slightly irritated husband chuckled.

“Your scruff!”

Sam cleared his throat.

“Umm excuse me, but should I end the video chat and come back in say…an hour?”

They all laughed in response for a while before Elena sighed.

“Sorry Sam, we’ll try to keep the physical stuff to a minimum.”

“I think we should call him Uncle Sam, now.” Nathan added quickly, and once again, there was a heavy silence in the room.

Uncle Sam?!?

Nadine couldn’t believe she had heard correctly; the younger Drake was going to be a father?

Lord help them all.

She heard Sam sputtering in surprise before he laughed and shrieked with joy, causing the young couple to smile and laugh along in pride.

“I can’t believe this! When did you guys find out?” Sam asked, looking between them in excitement, eyes shining even more than they had been from the light and laptop screen.

Nathan hummed, “A few weeks ago, actually, but we knew you were on another job with Sully, so we wanted to wait until things had kinda ‘settled’?”

“Things never settle, Nate, you know that.” Sam corrected softly.

“True, but hey! This is the best news you’re gonna receive all week!”

Sam pointed at the screen, “I want no more surprises; the moment you guys find out if it’s a boy or a girl, you’re telling me first, got it?”

They nodded, chuckling warmly at him.

“You bet, Sam.” Elena nodded, then looked behind her into the kitchen.

“Nate, I should get some supper going.”

Sam cleared his throat again, this time however, it sounded slightly uncomfortable.

“Right…yeah, um, well, congratulations, guys! I couldn’t be more pleased.”

Nadine knew his words were genuine, but she still felt something heavy passing between the trio. They were indeed a close family, but it seemed now as if Sam was perhaps on his own?

She stopped herself, shaking her head, feeling she was getting stupid for empathizing with Sam Drake. What did it matter to her whether he was alone or not? He deserved his bitter loneliness, after all. That’s right.  
  
Elena chuckled warmly at her brother-in-law.

"Cya, Samuel." 

Nadine heard her softly walk away, leaving the two brothers alone again.

Sam turned, getting ready to turn off the laptop, when Nathan took in a breath, and it caused his older brother to pause in his actions.

“Say, Sam, you take it easy, alright?”

Sam nodded at him, his entire body turned away from Nadine’s eyes.

“Will do, don’t worry Nate.”

“And please make sure Sully doesn’t get too courageous or anything, okay?”

A sigh, “Nate, stop worryin’, we know what we’re doin’, alright?” Sam consoled him and sighed gently.

“Say ‘hi’ to Chloe and Charlie for me too, please.”

Sam nodded again, “Sure thing, Nate.”

“Goodnight, Sam.”

“Adios, little brother.”

Nadine watched as they both ended the video chat, their screens closing and leaving Sam’s desktop facing him once again, the entire room going blue from the light.

Nadine carefully backed away from the door, making sure she didn’t step on any areas of the carpet that would make the slightest sound.

Watching as she backed away, she saw Sam close the laptop and place it at the foot of his bed, yawning loudly.

She’d almost made it back to her own room when she heard Sully calling from outside.

“Anyone want Cutter’s world famous hot dogs while they’re hot and fresh?”

She heard clattering and clanking of dishes and utensils as she made her way down the steps, careful to let Sam go first, wait 3 minutes, and then follow. She didn’t want to give him any idea that she had been listening in on his conversation with his younger brother.

Everyone had gathered outside on a large picnic table in the thick, long grass, the blades almost sweeping up past their feet as Sully stood next to Cutter, who handed out the hot dogs on plates and passed them around.

Sam sat in front of Nadine on the opposite side of the picnic table, while Chloe sat to her left. They put various items on their dogs and waited for Cutter and Sully to grab their seats.

Soda was passed around next, and Nadine took in the smell of the barbeque, fresh air, the grass, and the dirt beneath their feet. She hated to admit it, but this was one of the first ‘picnics’ she’d had in decades…if ever?

She frowned, taking a small bite as Chloe put on more Ketchup on her dog and bun.

“So Sam, how’s the cabin treatin’ ya?” Cutter asked, waiting for Chloe to be finished with the ketchup before he grabbed it and spread it on his own bun.

Sam shrugged, not meeting anyone’s eyes as he looked down at his food.

“Well it’s okay, but not as okay as the news I got from Nathan…”

Everyone paused, all eyes were on Sam.

“What’s wrong, mate?” Cutter asked, while Sully shoved his hot dog aside for a second.

“Kid? What’s going on?”

Sam was silent for a while, and the tension was thicker than the smoke that had billowed out of the barbeque a while ago, but then he lifted his head and laughed a proud, loud laugh.

“Elena’s pregnant!”

Immediately, Chloe shrieked and cheered, while Sully gasped, and Cutter shook his head.

“Didn’t know the ankle-biter had it in him.” Cutter grumbled.

“Best god damn news if I ever heard it.” Sully grabbed his hot dog and finally took a bite, closing his eyes in enjoyment, probably more so from the news Sam had broken out to everyone.

Sam followed suit, while Nadine sat coldly staring at her soda, watching it fizz and bubble about in the glass. She wished she could share in their happiness, but a part of her still wasn’t fond of either Drake brother, and she couldn’t bring herself to develop that for them anytime soon. Besides, they'd all been one 'big happy family' before she'd arrived, and she reckoned they'd remain one 'big happy family' even after her. It made no difference to her at all. 

Sam continued, “Other than that, the cabin’s okay, but there’s something that I noticed right away while I was chattin’ with Nathan…”

“Oh?” Sully inquired, wiping his moustache, some mustard hanging from it.

Sam’s eyes suddenly flashed at Nadine, and he stared at her for a while before she felt the intensity of his gaze and was forced to look up from her soda glass.

Sam’s deep, dark gaze suddenly made her feel a tad panicked, though she hid it well and didn’t break eye-contact. She had been taught long ago about every manipulative, intimidation tactic in the book, and whatever Sam was playing at wouldn’t work on her.

“Hmm?” Cutter added, waiting for Sam to speak.

Sam never broke his gaze from Nadine, and she soon felt her cheeks growing pink.

“The walls in the rooms are a lot thinner than I’d like.”

That bastard.

He gave her a small smile, and turned to eat his meal, never looking at her throughout the rest of the evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sam's not such a clumsy dunderhead after all :O


	9. Unsteady Alliance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO! I'm still alive, don't worry; just had personal issues. Long story short, I had a new job for a while (yay), but had to resign due to bullying and harassment by a co-worker in their attempts to get me fired. Sad world we live in, honestly, but I am hopeful for a new job in the foreseeable future and I'm not giving up this attempt.
> 
> I'd also like to send out special credit to "The_Asgardian_Writer" and her amazing tumblr I follow, and I'm linking this specific post here due to me using a picture in this chapter from it.  
> Please check out her tumblr and follow her, she is amazing and I have had the pleasure of chatting with her many times about Sam and Nadine as a couple! I love her ideas, and you will, too! ^_^  
> https://thebliznet.tumblr.com/post/173323174387/can-i-possibly-by-chance-request-an-edit-having-to

**Unsteady Alliance**

****

 

If there was one lesson Nadine had learned that following week, it was never to freely volunteer her time and energy for a task that was ‘undecided’, especially if it was coming from Victor Sullivan.

The band of explorers had each gone their separate ways; Chloe keeping a close eye on the movement of the Frau couple, while Cutter had driven out of town for supplies, ammunition, and God-knows-what-else.

Sully remained in the cabin, though he had been on the phone with Nathan Drake throughout the day, congratulating him and wishing him and Elena the best on their new journey as future parents, and right when Nadine felt she was ready to vomit from all the pleasantries, Sully had tossed her a camera and asked if she was willing to spend the evening in the woods surrounding the cabin, mapping out other special land markings, trails, and anything else they could find useful.

She had snatched the camera out of his hands in less than a second, heading straight for the door after collecting the few items she felt she would need, when footsteps thundered after her.

After many curse words and insults flung in both directions, Nadine found herself pushing back leaves, branches, and other piles of foliage while Sam Drake followed her, close behind. She couldn’t believe he had the temerity to claim he had already volunteered to take this task for himself, which IF were true, would only mean that Victor Sullivan-the old cunning fox that he was-had set them up.

But Sullivan wouldn’t dare stoop so low…would he? Perhaps working with the Drakes for as long as he had had changed his ways after all.

Nadine frowned and cleverly ducked as a swarm of flies greeted her as she led the way through more thick clearings, the sun beating down on the top of her black sun visor as they trailed through another new area.

The sun was taking its time to set, leaving the air around them feeling hot and smoggy, especially as the woods had been filled with swamps and puddles which they carefully avoided as they moved onward.

Nadine turned and glared as Sam pointed the camera at a bird perched on a small rock near a group of heavy, thick trees. The bird was indeed beautiful; a mixture of yellow and black, with a reddish beak, and it began grooming itself while Sam took a few photos in quick succession.

Nadine cleared her throat, feeling the anger pooling in her cheeks.

He lowered the camera and smiled innocently at her.

“What?”

“We’re not here on vacation, Drake; leave the photos to me, if you’re so inclined to snap them whenever it pleases you!” She knew it had been a rather catty thing to spew at him, but the sun was slowly setting, Victor had been less than honest with her about this task he’d set her on, Sam’s cologne was very potent and annoying, and the bugs around them were gathering in vengeance.

Sam raised a defiant eyebrow.

“Well it saves me from talking to you, anyway.”

She glared daggers at him, and he brushed past her, his clothes rubbing against hers in a gentle “swish”.

“I hope you run face-first into a tree.” She hissed after him, knowing immediately the insult was so childish.

Sam snickered as he stepped over a few fallen branches, the twigs beneath his weight cracking and breaking, effectively clearing a small path for Nadine.

“Wishful thinking, huh?”

Nadine ignored the comment and moved a little faster to catch up to him. She didn’t understand how he could move so easily and effortlessly through thick bushes and deftly avoid rocks and small hills, when she-someone who had been athletic her entire life-had to struggle and make more of an effort.

Must be the long legs.

Damn him.

She made a quick reach for the camera, when he raised it to take another random photo.

“Give me that damn thing!”

He moved it out of her line of reach at the very last second, causing her fingers to brush against his shirt, her skin coming into contact with his heated, sweaty chest, which was open to her view, as he had been wearing a white muscle shirt beneath an open blue flower-covered Hawaiian-styled casual shirt. It almost resembled what he had been wearing back when they were reunited in Belur…

Nadine growled and dropped her hands the second they’d hit his bare chest.

He gasped, standing back to face her.

“Why, Miss Ross! If you really desired touching me so much, all you had to do was ask…” he laughed deeply as he turned his back to another large clearing, which was decorated with small fallen piles of leaves and rotted wood places in various structures that resembled huts and houses having been present once so long ago.

“…my answer would still be ‘no’, of course.” He chuckled as he watched her growing uncomfortable and shifting her weight back and forth on her feet.

“Grow up!” She spat with venom, placing her hands on her hips, trying to remain cool and collected. It was amazing how someone as simple-minded as Sam Drake could so easily get under her skin, and did it ever bother Nadine. She wanted to know how, and specifically when she had given him this kind of power and control over her…

Sam winked at her, “You lead, I’ll follow.”

The double-meaning fueled her anger further, and she had to pause for seconds, pressing down her anger until she could speak to him.

She slammed her shoulder against his purposefully, pushing past him and walking quickly. Maybe if she kept up the power-walk, he would get lost in the setting sun, and she could trail back to the cabin and say it wasn’t her fault, he’d just been an idiot and gotten lost on his own.

She smirked to herself as she went over the number of excuses she could throw at Sully and Chloe.

“He’s a grown man! He can take care of himself!” She imagined herself saying, and the group agreed and moved on, confident he would join them whenever he could.

She nearly giggled as she pictured him, squatting over in the dirt, clothes half-torn off and muddy, hair ruffled, bruises all over his skin, looking ever-so-much like the lost man-brat that he was.

She’d been so wrapped up in this little malicious fantasy of hers, that she failed to notice Sam’s cries of warning, and she only snapped out of her little dream when it was too late.

Nadine felt the cold hard ground upon her face suddenly, and she felt the branch beneath her leg wrap itself around her calf.

Like a child, she had tripped and tumbled to her feet in front of the one person she hated more than life itself.

Sam placed the camera next to her, crouching down to look at her and help her up.

“You okay?”

She snapped her head up to look at him, and his jaw dropped.

She had mud smeared across her forehead, and a leaf was stuck in her hair, the visor a few feet ahead of her, drenched in mud and dirt.

Sam suddenly burst out in laughter. He had tried to hold it together, he really had, but this was too much. Nadine Ross, former owner of Shoreline, buried head-to-toe in mud after tripping and falling? This was far too much for one day.

Nadine leapt to her feet immediately once his deep laughter assaulted her eardrums viciously.

“What’s so damn funny???”

She hurriedly straightened out her clothing as best she could, wishing she were back in her room, with a mirror, and a shower…

Sam sat, crouched still, his shoulders rocking up and down as he placed his palms over his kneecaps, head bent down as laughter poured out of him. Soon, his face was flushed pink from the rounds of laughter he’d had at her expense.

Nadine resisted the urge to kick him with her climbing boots. A swift kick to the jaw was the very least of things he deserved, currently.

“Get up!” She screamed at him, her fists in tight balls at her sides.

Sam slowly stood, bringing the camera with him as he cradled it to his broad chest, but his laughter didn’t seem to cease.

He stood to his full height, wiping some sweat off his forehead with the back of a hand, while the other held the camera carefully.

Nadine swiped it away from him as he was distracted.

“Screw you!”

Sam held up his hands and laughed more, “I’m sorry, I really am, but you should’ve heard my warnings, man!”

“As if anyone would want to listen to your heinous voice!” She practically shrieked, wincing afterwards when she heard her own voice echoing around them.

Sam’s laughter died down, and he sighed.

“You should really learn how to make fun of yourself and be okay with it, you know.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets, fingers swimming beneath the lining of his jeans, no doubt searching for another damn cancer stick he could suck on.

Nadine flicked drying mud at Sam, and he gently moved out of the way.

“Is that your pathetic excuse then? Is that what you recite to yourself in hopes it’ll be convincing enough whenever people point and laugh at you like the freak-show you are?” She asked, smirking evilly at him, hoping to get any rise out of him.

Sam rolled his eyes and shrugged, “If it helps, I guess.”

Nadine froze, eyes widening slightly. She had hoped for him to at the very least raise his voice at her, but there he stood, calm and collected as ever.

Damn him.

She pushed her hair back, quickly grabbing her dirty visor, groaning when she saw that not only was it beyond dirty, but it had been snapped out of place due to the rough stumble she’d taken. It wasn’t going to be useful anymore.

She glared up at Sam and flung the heat visor at him.

He allowed her to march past him, only sighing and rubbing the back of his head as he followed her past more worn-out cabins.

He snapped a few photos of them as they trudged along in silence for what seemed like hours.

Sam knew they were both stubborn and filled with pride; it was only a matter of who had less arrogance and would buckle and break, starting the next awkward conversation after almost an hour of pure silence.

He cleared his throat, expecting her to turn and face him, but she moved on, the back of her grey shirt drenched in sweat and dirt.

Sam felt his cheeks flare, knowing that the mess had in part been his fault. Perhaps he could have warned her better, or kept up with her more…after all, Sully had asked him to look after her during this journey…

It could have been easier if she would just co-operate for once! But the hell did he care if she co-operated or not? She was a grown woman, capable of making her own choices! None of this was his fault! He’d been completing the task he’d been asked to do, and that was as far as it went. If Victor was so concerned about finding a baby-sitter for her, he could have joined them himself.

Sam seemed content with this thought, and he looked down, careful of his own footing as they moved onto more cabins and a small camp-like structure that was at the center of the woods.

They were deep in the area now, and it was nearly late evening now, just the smallest hint of sunlight sitting at the very top of the trees, making their faces still clear, but in a few hours, barely visible to one another.

So much the better, Sam thought, looking down at a few cut and seemingly burnt tree stumps, lined up in a row. He was trying to select one to sit on, just for a momentary pause, when he saw a remarkably interesting carving and symbol in one at the very far right.

Sam dropped to his knees, brushing his fingers around the symbol in the rotting wood, and he squinted, hoping the sunlight would still stick around just a bit longer so he could make out the marking.

“H-hey, Nadine! Come here, quickly! Think I got somethin’!” He called and waved her over, and he could tell that she was reluctantly approaching; wringing her hands together, eyes set on him as if he would attack or trick her.

So she thought so lowly of him?

Sam pushed that thought back for a second while she looked down and sighed, exhausted.

“What is it?”

He literally heard the defeat in her voice, and it made him wince.

He pointed at the marking, feeling his cheeks burn as he mentally kicked himself in the ass repeatedly.

“Ever seen this before?” He coughed out, feeling the guilt spreading quickly. He knew she had taken the fall because of him, and the Sam Drake he had always been had repressed the guilt and just moved on. Classic.

Nadine bent down and looked at the symbol. It was comprised of three horizontal lines with a dot right in the center, and a vertical line cutting across at the far end of the very top right hand of the first vertical line.

She observed it longer, and then sighed.

“No, I haven’t.”

Sam raised the camera, zoomed in on the marking, and snapped a photo.

“Wanna check out the surroundings and see if there’s more like it around?” He asked as he looked down at the screen of the camera to admire the shot.

“Sure.”

Sam looked up at her. He hadn’t been expecting her to agree so calmly, but she had. It was definitely from exhaustion, and he could tell as small dark circles were under her eyes, and her hair strands stood out from her ponytail messily. She looked a mess, and he knew she wanted to go back to the cabin quickly, and the gentlemen he should have been would at least offer her that, but before Sam could do that, she stood, and began moving around to look for more of the markings.

Sam sat, staring at her retreating back, hearing thunder boom across the sky above them.

“Shit.”

“~~~~~~~~”

It had been nearly nightfall when the rain hit them, and it hit them hard. Sam and Nadine had given up the search of the mysterious symbols, only finding one more on a wall inside an abandoned, burnt hut, and they had made their way for the only source of shelter from the rain they could find; a small castle-like structure a few yards away from the huts and ‘camp’ they had been previously in.

Layers of brick and old blocks fell and caved in as they carefully eased their way in the medium-sized looming building, their boots crunching away on old broken pieces of glass as they slid through a crack in the wall which had possible been a window, once, yet now was a mass of broken and distorted bricks and stones.

Inside, the air was damp, musky, and stale, though it was better than being in the rain in the middle of the dark sky.

Nadine shivered as she cradled herself, standing as far away from Sam, who leaned against and wall and shook his head, water droplets flying around them.

“Urgh, you're such an animal, Drake!”

Nadine shivered through clenched teeth as she looked around at the bits of broken glass which may have been from a chandelier, and a few dusty bits of furniture, which were definitely more than a hundred years old.

Gas lights and lanterns hung on hooks in the walls, some of them almost entirely out of the wall and hanging loosely, swinging and squeaking while the storm raged on outside, the wind howling and spitting in some cold rainwater through the creaks and nooks in between some of the old stone and bricks.

Sam looked at the lanterns and gas lights, eyebrows raised as he ran a hand through his slightly wet hair.

"Wondering if the electricity in this joint still works."

Nadine resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the lame attempt at a joke.

The walls had torn and moldy wallpaper, picture frames which were ripped out from walls and ripped apart, glass broken, and the paintings distorted and a mess of old colour, than presenting any image in general.

The building had no doubt belonged once to royalty, though Nadine was too tired to go searching through the dilapidated building for any trinkets or prizes.

She leaned against a broken staircase made of old stone, a few of them moving out of place against her sudden weight, falling and breaking apart, causing her to gasp and move away. The last thing she wanted was another accident…

As if on cue, the building seemed to groan and creak, as a few bits of dust and debris fell from the old ceiling and rafters onto their heads.

Sam coughed, “Wanna not bring the entire building down on our heads, Miss Ross?”

“Why don’t you go make yourself useful and bring some wood for a fire, then?”

Sam pointed at her, “Speaking of which, did you notice it, yet?”

Nadine shivered, suddenly more irritated than ever, especially with all his mysterious talk, lately.

“Notice what, Drake?” She shivered, feeling the ice-cold water droplets dripping from her wet hair strands onto her back, arms, shoulders, and neck.

Sam sat on one of the dusty seats against a wall, resting a leg over another toppled chair as he got comfortable. How one could get comfortable in a broken-down place like this was beyond Nadine’s comprehension, but she figured she’d let Sam distract her from thoughts of how uncomfortable, cold, tired, and hungry she was.

“This is the only building that’s somewhat intact, and it’s the only one not burnt.”

Nadine searched the large grand-hall-like section of the building they had settled in, trying to confirm this for her own eyes.

Sam had been right; not a single item or section of this castle-like-building had been set ablaze.

“Even the stumps were burnt.”

Nadine shrugged, not wanting to go along with this, despite knowing it was true.

“So? Could’ve been by lightning.”

“It was done by people.” Sam argued back.

He wasn’t as wet as she was, and this fueled her rage once again. She huffed and kicked a small piece of chipped stone at his way, and it hit his booted-leg which rested on the floor.

“Well what do you want me to say then, Drake?” He had to be right about everything, didn't he? First Frau Lina, and now this...

Sam’s jaw dropped, “Nothing, I just-”

“Go ahead then! Search the area and claim the relics in this room as your parting prize! Do whatever you want, just leave me alone!”

Before he had a chance to respond, she was up and leaping out of the window they’d entered through.

Sam didn’t want her to get lost in the dark and rain, and he followed her, knowing it’d be his ass and head on a silver plate if something happened to her.

“Nadine! Stop!” 

He called after her until his own voice was foreign to him, his lungs and throat burning, but not as much as fear and worry burned through his brain.

Through the heavy rain bearing down on his vision, he was able to see her speed-walking through the thick forest, and he almost caught up to her when she turned abruptly and pointed an angry finger at him, causing him to stop dead in his tracks.

“I said leave me alone! Are you hard of hearing, all of a sudden?” She yelled at him, eyes shining angrily in the lightning that provided a small bit of light in their path.

Sam felt himself growing angry in response, and he got defensive quickly.

“You know you’ve really been a pain in the ass all day, and I’ve tried being nice to you, but you won’t-”

“So laughing at my misery is being ‘nice’, now?” She interrupted, laughing in vain.

“…I was tryin’ to lighten up the mood, what’d you want from me?” He threw his arms up in the air, the rain soaking his shirt, making it cling tightly to his body.

As the lightning flashed on, Nadine’s eyes suddenly dropped down to capture the sight of Sam’s muscular arms and chest.

She felt her cheeks flare, and it wasn’t just from anger alone.

She turned around, her back facing him, as she shook and fumed in her anger.

Stupid Drake!

“We got what we came for, now let’s go back!” Nadine spoke calmly, in spite of her frustrations. She didn't want to spend another minute in the rain, especially with him.

“Oh so it’s ‘we’, now?” Sam spat at her back, and she only turned to glare at him from her peripheral vision, not ready to face him yet, not when the rain and the lightning made everything so…clear…

“Fine, you take all the credit then if you want, Drake, but I’m through with these arguments!”

Sam shook his head and sighed, placing two fingers on his forehead.

“You still don’t get that this isn’t how we all work, Nadine!”

Nadine bit down an insult.

“It’s not every man or woman for himself, you know.”

She suddenly felt her anger chipping away and breaking down as his voice calmed down, the tone changing as he spoke on behind her.

“I’m not sure how shit works in Shoreline, and I’m sorry for the past that we’ve had, but you can’t let that get in the way of our work.”

She began to envy how calm he remained, and how quickly he could get himself together. He wasn’t a flying mass of emotions like she was, and it seemed to make her regretful and sad, more than ever. Nadine had once been content with being angry and despising Sam Drake to the point of wanting to end his miserable life with her own hands, once upon a time, but she was coming to the realization that those times were slowly ending. She no longer wanted Sam Drake to die, and she had a difficult time coping with this newfound realization.

“Nadine, did you hear a word I said?”

She froze, abandoning her musings once she understood that Sam had been talking the entire time.

She gave a small nod in response, even though they both knew it was a lie.

“Turn around.”

She felt her own body go against her mind’s wishes, and she turned around to face Sam, knowing she was as soaked as he was.

She was grateful for her hair curling around her face and hanging limp and straight in the back, falling just above her shoulder blades, providing her with some small warmth, only until the wind blew mildly.

She squinted in the little bit of light the storm provided, and saw him towering over her as he took a few steps towards her, his breath almost hitting the tip of her nose as she didn’t move before him.

Another sharp flash of lightning followed a growling rumble of thunder far away.

“You’re beautiful.”

The words went unheard to her for the longest time, but when her ears caught it, she forbid her mind from registering them. She knew she couldn't ignore it, and the silence etched on, but she pieced the words together in that time as she stood, crossing her arms over her chest in a failed attempt to remain warm, and keep the last bits of her dignity intact.

She gestured with her chin behind her into the dark forest.

“Let’s head back; I doubt that camera is waterproof.”

She turned first, and began walking, her body shaking and aching from the cold. She was grateful for the rain and night, otherwise he would have seen how she blushed.

He didn’t say a word for the rest of the trip.


	10. Birthday Surprise

**Birthday Surprise**

She’d never disobeyed a single order, not until she turned twenty-one. Everyone had trusted her to make the best judgement and act in the best interest of what was always done, and this contributed greatly to her pride, and sense of self-worth. She’d felt mature, grown-up, and appreciated, for once.

And it all came to a screeching halt, right when she’d landed her first fight that wasn’t regulated or ordered. A soldier acting out on their own? Now that was absolutely unacceptable and wouldn't be tolerated; it would be snuffed out like a candle, and nipped in the bud.

Normally, she didn’t particularly care when a new recruit was being bullied as per the regular initiation process, but this time, everyone had gone too far.

A team of seven men had ambushed the younger, newer man, and within minutes, they’d lashed out at him in a flurry of fists, buckets of ice-cold water being dunked over his head, and they’d soon proudly paraded with him trailing behind them in a shivering, wet mess. 

No one had come forth to help; everyone else had either sat back watching and laughing, or simply chosen to ignore the abuse. Everything soon escalated and got out-of-hand, with the men hoisting the new recruit up, tying him quickly to a flagpole.

They’d used him as a personal human punching bag for a little over five minutes when Nadine had arrived at the scene.

Rage consumed her, and she knew she had bitten off more than she could chew, taking on seven men at the same time, but her anger and adrenaline proved to be enough to match them all.

One-by-one, she’d beaten them until they were out, cold, and she tossed them aside as if they’d weighed next to nothing before she turned her attention to the shivering, whimpering new recruit, still on display for all to see on the flagpole.

She hurriedly began untying him and helping him down, when she heard gruff voices calling out her name to her.

In the end, it’d been her word against theirs, and multiple witnesses didn’t speak up, and those who did had insisted and remained vehement that she’d been the aggressor.

She landed in solitary confinement for over ten days, shut off and ignored from the rest of the world in a dark, dank, smelly cell. The windows had been blacked out with black paint, and she soon felt herself growing weaker. The bits of water and food she’d been provided were no doubt stale, and hardly edible.

She’d nearly fallen asleep when the cell door was unlocking, and she stood to her feet slowly, the room spinning as she fought to keep her eyes open.

The lights in the hallway ahead of her bore into the dark cell violently, and she squinted, not being used to so much bright lighting after days in the dark. She could barely make out the figure looming over her...

“Hey! Nadine?”

She broke out of the distant memory, turning around from the windowsill to look at Chloe.

The rain had continued since the day she and Sam returned from their little trip, and it persisted for an entire day afterwards.

They’d all decided to remain indoors for the time being, and everyone left Nadine alone, as if sensing that she’d turned into a ticking time-bomb since she’d walked back in the door, soaked and drenched in rainwater and mud.

Nadine watched in silence as Chloe pushed her hair back and tied it into a loose ponytail, admiring it in the mirror for a few seconds before she smiled warmly at Nadine.

Nadine didn’t return her smile; she merely turned back to look outside at the wet world on the other side of the pane of glass.

Chloe’s smile died away.

“Hey, what’s wrong, love?”

Nadine shrugged, “Weather.”

“Hmm.”

“Ja.”

She heard Chloe approach, and she didn’t move as she watched the puddles beneath growing and the leaves of trees drooping heavily as the rain assaulted them.

“Wanna come out for a bit with me?”

Nadine gave a small snort. “In this weather?”

“Yes.” Chloe smiled widely, resting a warm hand on Nadine’s shoulder.

“You’re crazy, Chloe.”

Chloe nodded, “Of course, but it’s Sully’s birthday tomorrow, and since the rain is supposedly going to die down within a few hours, I figured we’d head out to get him something.”

Nadine turned to her, shrugging her hand off her shoulder smoothly in one shake.

“It’s really Victor’s birthday?”

“Yep!” Chloe cheerfully moved across the room, grabbing her purse which had been resting on the seat of a chair, and she put on a raincoat which had also been draped on the armrest of the same chair.

“Come on, then!”

Nadine sighed, “I can’t.”

Chloe paused, thinking, before she smirked devilishly at her friend.

“Would you rather stay in here with Sam all day long, then?”

“I’ll be ready in less than two minutes.”

“Appreciate it, love.”

True to her word, Nadine had gotten ready as quickly as she could, putting on a fashionable white spring jacket, with black buttons and zippers on the side pockets. She wore black skinny jeans, and small black sneakers.

Chloe pushed back a curtain in the hallway, watching the rain for a while as Nadine made her way down the stairs from her room.

“It’s dying down, slowly but surely.” She announced, and Nadine nodded, grabbing a small black umbrella anyway.

“Let me grab the keys.”

Chloe made her way further into the kitchen behind them, and Nadine followed slowly, looking around carefully.

Suddenly, loud snores greeted their ears.

“It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring!”

Sam’s sing-song voiced droned unenthusiastically from the kitchen table, a newspaper in his hands, and a lit cigarette placed on an ashtray next to him.

A few feet away in the den across the kitchen, Sully sat in a chair, head lolled to the side, snoring away, a book on his lap, open, and nearly sliding off to drop onto the floor.

Chloe gently grabbed the book and placed it on a shelf before making her way back to Sam, while Nadine stood still, resting her head against the wall, staring at her feet.

Sam’s face was hidden behind the newspaper, and only his forehead and eyebrows remained visible as he flipped a page and sighed.

“Where are you two going?” He asked softly.

Chloe pointed at Sully and mouthed: “Got to get a gift.”

Sam lowered the paper, finally, and gaped.

“Ah, yeah, nearly forgot.” He nearly whispered and gave Chloe a small smile of approval.

“Want me to come along?”

“NO!” Nadine suddenly yelled, and it had been louder than she’d have liked. It caused both Sam and Chloe to flinch, then stare at each other in an awkward silence, Sam’s cheeks flushing, while Chloe played with her ponytail.

“Right, well, here’s about…fifty dollars, and you don’t even have to tell him it’s from me.”

Sam fished out a wad of cash from his pockets and handed it over to Chloe gently.

“Sam, don’t-” Chloe was about to hand it back to him when he pushed her hand away, still blushing and smiling, though it seemed pained, now.

“Don’t. Just wanna contribute a bit.” He gently encouraged, still keeping his smile, but he stood, folding the paper in his hands, and he made his way past the two women and into the den with Sully.

Nadine felt ashamed, and she looked down at the floor, feeling Chloe’s frown from the top of her head.

“Come on, then.”

“~~~~~~~~”

The rain had definitely eased off a little bit when they’d found a small family-owned bakery in the nearest town close to the camp.

Nadine had barely spoken, merely standing beside Chloe while she looked at the various large variety of fancy, colourful cakes on display in the bakery.

“What kind of cake do you figure Sullivan likes?” Nadine finally asked, wanting to break the awkward, painful silence.

Chloe chuckled as her eyes greedily moved from cake-to-cake, and it seemed as if she wanted to purchase a few for herself.

“Something with a lot of icing, I’ll bet.”

Nadine hummed to herself, moving along the rows of cakes, and smelling the over-powering smell of dough, bread, and sugar. It was enough to make her sick, and she reeled back a bit, breathing deeply as she closed her eyes.

Chloe looked at her in concern, her dark eyes worried.

“You okay?”

“Ja, just…give me a moment.”

“Are you sure?”

She pushed away the offered hand at her back.

“I’ll be fine, just…pick a damn cake.” She muttered, shaking her head and rubbing her nose.

Chloe slowly turned back, smiling in embarrassment at one of the owners on the other side of the counter as he shook his head in boredom at the two women.

Nadine sat down at a small table near the door, counting down a few moments in her head in silence, and she suddenly thought of how she had snapped at Sam.

It had been very unprofessional and immature, she hated to admit, but it was also the truth. No one had asked what had happened between the two of them while they were on their errand for Sully, and this worried Nadine greatly. It meant that either Sam had informed them of what happened behind her back, or he had avoided it and tried to bury it in his memory, as she was currently working on.

Nadine sighed, looking at the clock on the wall by the door, and she soon got lost in the large hand moving down, though it seemed as if it refused to move faster than she’d like…

Chloe suddenly called to her.

“He’s getting a strawberry flavored cake with a few silly ties and hats decorated on the top!”

Nadine clapped.

“Lucky man.”

Chloe leaned across the counter, speaking out the instructions to the baker as he began decorating the large, four-layered white cake.

The door beside Nadine suddenly opened abruptly, the little bell chiming as wet footsteps made their way past Nadine.

Nadine looked up to look at the new customer and was met with a shall-covered wet head.

It was obviously a woman who’d walked in, and she was tall, and somewhat thin and menacing. Nadine couldn’t see her face, but she watched as the woman made her way to the front of the bakery, and at the same time, Chloe turned around and joined Nadine at the small table by the door, the cake wrapped up in her hands, and hitting the tip of her nose.

“Wanna help, love?” Chloe asked sarcastically as she set the cake down on the table between them and straightened her clothes out.

Nadine moved to the side, ignoring Chloe for a moment while the mysterious woman with the shall on her head began to speak with the baker.

“Who’s she?”

Chloe grabbed the cake, her fingernails running along the edge of the cover.

“Huh? Who?”

Nadine peered at the back of the tall, thin woman, her voice barely audible, despite the bakery being otherwise empty.

Chloe shrugged, “Don’t know.”

Nadine stood, but Chloe pushed the cake into her hands, distracting her.

“Come on, we’ve a few more places to go to.”

Nadine looked at her, and smiled, “Ja.”

“Do you think Victor will like the cake?” Chloe asked as she opened the door for Nadine, and the other woman held the cake carefully.

Chloe opened the umbrella as she unlocked their car in the parking lot.

“I’m sure he will.”

Nadine followed her friend, but before the door closed entirely behind her, through the raindrops falling and obscuring her vision, she looked back inside the small bakery.

The woman chatted on with the baker, who smiled at her and nodded, listening.

The conversation seemed dull and regular, but before Nadine dropped her spying on the woman, she witnessed her raise a hand and shake the baker’s hand.

Nadine’s heart stopped as she saw the bandaged hand…

“Nadine! Hurry!”

Nadine saw only water getting in her eyes, and she shook her head, wiping some of it away with her coat sleeve, and when she looked in the bakery again, she saw the woman still chatting with the baker, and her hands were out of Nadine’s sight.

“NADINE!”

“Coming!”

Nadine had definitely imagined it, and the stress and storm had been contributing to her imagination, no doubt.

Still, something felt off, not only about the woman who had entered the bakery, but something was wrong about the entire day.

Nadine chose to shrug it off, not wanting to ruin Chloe’s happiness, and Victor’s birthday. She’d already lashed out at Sam and was regretting it deeply.

She sat in the passenger seat next to Chloe, as they drove down the wet streets, watching as people walked with their umbrellas held above their heads, walking in and out of small shops and restaurants that littered the streets.

“Where are we headed to next?” Nadine asked, holding the cake tightly on her lap.

Chloe pointed ahead at another store as they pulled into the driveway.

Nadine looked at the sign ahead of them.

“Gute Weine?”

Chloe nodded.

“Victor does like his wine, indeed.”

They walked inside, selecting two stools at a small table. The shop was more crowded and busy than the last one they’d been in, which relieved Nadine. She took off her coat and Chloe followed, and while they got comfortable, a server approached their table.

“Guten tag!”

The young woman greeted them politely and warmly, her frizzy red hair hanging loosely to her waistline as she placed a small tray on the table between them.

“I see two fresh faces here, and to welcome you to Gute Weine, this one’s on the house.”

“Danke!” Chloe spoke in glee, watching as the young woman popped open the fancy, expensive bottle, and placing two glasses on the table as she poured their drinks.

“Enjoy!”

They sat for a while in silence, observing the patrons as they sang and laughed, music playing somewhere, though not too loudly.

Chloe looked at Nadine and held her wine glass in the air.

“This is certainly festive, eh?”

Nadine offered a small half-smile, and she raised her glass.

“Cheers, mate.”

They clinked their glasses, though Nadine didn’t finish her drink.

Chloe dropped the happy mood, setting her glass off to the side.

“Alright, would you mind telling me now why you nearly bit Sam’s head off back there?”

Nadine didn’t appreciate the accusatory tone, even though she knew that technically, Chloe was right.

She shrugged, staring off at another table somewhere.

“It’s a complicated story.”

Chloe placed a hand beneath her chin, shaking her head, eyes dull.

“It usually is with you, yes.”

Nadine cocked an eyebrow, unimpressed, her lips thin.

“What?”

“Spit it out.” Chloe spoke mildly, though Nadine sensed the tension in the back of her throat, threatening to rise.

Nadine shook her head, raising her glass to her lips.

“Forget it.”

Chloe shook her head, defiant as ever.

“Say it.”

Nadine almost slammed the glass on the table in anger.

“I hate him.”

Chloe didn’t move, hand still under her chin, supporting her head as she stared on blankly at Nadine.

“That’s it?”

Nadine paused, and then nodded in confirmation.

“Ja, I really hate him.”

“Really.” Chloe looked bored.

“Yes, really, really hate him.”

Chloe stared on for many long minutes before she broke out in a small laugh, lowering her head away from Nadine’s prying eyes, and she grabbed the wine bottle, pouring herself another glass.

“You’re hilarious, mate.”

Nadine frowned deeply, pulling her glass back when Chloe reached for hers to refill it.

Chloe sputtered, “Oh don’t give me that look, now.”

Nadine glared at her more instead.

Chloe tapped her nails on the bottle.

“I’m sorry…that was…”

“What?”

“…that was just the most unconvincing statement I’ve ever heard from you, Nadine.”

It was Nadine’s turn to gape and sputter, and she did, like a fish out of water.

“I beg your pardon?!”

Chloe winked at her, “Gonna have to try harder than that, love.”

Nadine resisted the urge to throw her drink in Chloe’s smug face. How could she say that!?

“What?!” Nadine hissed, trying to keep her voice down, and effectively keep the conversation at their table only.

Chloe took a swig of her drink, eyes shining playfully at Nadine.

“I’m just saying!”

“You’re crazy!”

Chloe laughed in retaliation, “Already was established, but you’re not fooling me, love.”

Nadine felt her frown mar her forehead and she sighed.

“Stop frowning, love, you’re much prettier when smiling.” Chloe offered the advice, finishing another glass and staring at the empty cup.

“I was being honest.”

Chloe’s eyes met hers and this time, she raised an eyebrow.

“Maybe if you repeat it enough times, it’ll sound convincing?”

Nadine stood from the table, gathering her coat in her hands, when she felt Chloe rush to her side, grabbing the coat and pulling it out of her hands.

“Please, Nadine, just sit for a second with me.”

Nadine refused, “I want to leave, Frazer.”

“What’s wrong with admitting that maybe you like Sam? Hmm?” Chloe challenged, sticking her chin out and placing a hand on the table, and another on Nadine’s forearm, holding her back.

Nadine looked around, and she was thankful that everyone seemed to be wrapped in their own drinks and conversations.

“I don’t like hi-”

“Nadine.” Chloe spoke sternly.

Nadine pulled at a few of her hair strands.

“I should cut my hair…it’s getting so darn long.” She spoke out loud, though she had meant those thoughts for herself only.

Chloe laughed, “Don’t change the subject, love.”

“Well you’re being ridiculous, and I don’t want to listen to this silly chatter any longer!”

This time, Nadine did pull the coat out from Chloe’s hands, and she put it on hurriedly, marching out the door. Behind her, she heard Chloe pay for their drink and seat, and she ran to catch up with Nadine, who was already waiting in the car for her.

Chloe sat and turned on the engine, though she didn’t pull out of the parking lot yet.

“Here.” She passed a small package to Nadine, and it was a large bottle of the same drink they’d had. The bottle was wrapped neatly in a red bow, and Nadine smiled as she played and toyed with it for a while as Chloe stared out the window, the engine purring on.

“Feelings aren’t a weakness, Nadine.” Chloe said softly as she moved the car, checking the mirrors as they backed out onto the roads again.

Nadine didn’t answer as she watched the car pass along many small places, and she mentally imagined herself enjoying the sights and scenery alone, free of care, free of anyone bothering her and nagging at her…

“Stop!”

Chloe slammed the brakes, and the car jerked forward violently.

“You scared me half to death! What’s wrong with you?” She shrieked, looking at Nadine as she pointed out her side of the window.

“I want to take a look at this place before we go.” Her words were a request in the form of a demand, and Chloe sighed, changing the direction of the car as they parked outside the large Delicatessen shop.

Chloe threw Nadine a confused, yet disapproving glance. “Really?”

Nadine had already exited the vehicle.

“Sure, why not?”

“Really?”

“I went everywhere you wanted to go.”

Chloe unbuckled her seatbelt.

“Alright then.”

The shop was filled with meat, fresh vegetables, breads, pastry, and other strange food items. Sausages dangled from ceilings, and cutlery sat at another display on the far-right end of the shop, glimmering and shining in the bright lights.

A gramophone sat at the counter, playing old classical music, while Nadine and Chloe browsed the shop, not looking for anything in particular.

The shop appeared to be empty and abandoned, but Nadine soon heard a man’s gruff voice from behind the counter, somewhere in a storage room, perhaps. He was speaking in German, and she paused to listen, when Chloe sighed beside her.

“This is what all the fuss was about, then?”

She picked up a package of cheese, raising it to her nose to sniff.

She scrunched her eyes in disgust and nearly dropped the cheese to the floor.

“Eww, disgusting stench on that one!”

“You’re such a child.” Nadine chuckled, looking at a large fish and crab tank at another end of the shop, the live sea creatures swimming around, their bulging eyes staring at her from the other side of the dirty tank. Nadine poked the tank's glass with a finger, causing a particularly large, chubby white fish to flounder over to her, bubbles escaping its gills as it looked at her, mouth wide open.

"I've got no food for you." Nadine spoke to it, smiling at it, while wondering how strange she must have looked to the animal.

Chloe soon pranced up behind her, and tapped on her shoulder, causing her to stop peering at the creatures in the tank.

“Like my new look?”

Nadine covered her mouth as loud laughs threatened to spill out of her.

Chloe had cradled and balanced a long, thin sausage between her nose and her upper lip, in mock of a mustache, while she had on the top of her head a replica of a Viking helmet.

“Where’d you find that?” Nadine asked, tapping on one of the sharp, yellow horns.

Chloe took it off her head and shrugged.

“It was on the counter, I guess.”

Nadine looked at the counter, wondering why no one had shown up to greet them in the shop, when she gasped and nearly fell back in fright.

A woman’s face was peering at them from the edge of a doorway to the left-side behind the counter, and right when it had been there, it disappeared.

Nadine had caught the cold eyes, and the menacing stare before it left, however, and she shoved Chloe aside, making a break for the car.

“We have to leave, now!”

“Nadine, wait! What the hell happened?!?!” Chloe scrambled after her, but Nadine had sat behind the wheel, the car turned on, the passenger side of the door flung open.

“COME ON!”

Nadine drove like a demon through the streets, back to the woods and to their cabin, and she practically flew through the front door, leaving the items and gifts for Sully back in the car, Chloe chasing after her.

Chloe fought to catch her breath as Nadine ran inside, causing a panicked Cutter, Sully, and Sam to look at her.

“What’s going on?” Cutter inquired as Nadine ran inside the den, standing before the fireplace, closing her eyes tightly and shaking her head, her fists in tight, clenched balls, slightly beating against her temples.

“Nadine! What happened back there in the shop?”

Chloe finally made her way to Nadine, grabbing onto her wrists and lowering them from her head before she could give herself more of a headache.

Sully stood by close to the two women, a dark, worried expression crossing his features, his hair ruffled and eyes tired, but alert.

“What the hell is happening?” He barked out at Nadine and Chloe, who seemed to have ignored him, cradling each other in fear.

“I saw her!” Nadine’s frightened voice cut through the air like a blade through raw flesh.

The group stood, waiting for what would come next, no one moving an inch.

“I saw that damn woman!”

“You saw who?” Sam asked, seemingly unaffected, though he likely was trying to keep calm in order to prevent the situation from escalating to full-blown fear.

“Frau Lina!” Nadine shrieked at him, letting Chloe hold her shoulders calmly, trying to keep her from shaking.

Cutter scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“Come on, how could she be here?”

Nadine frowned at him, fists still clenched tightly. “I know what I saw!”

Chloe held Nadine’s chin in her warm, small hands, bringing Nadine’s face at level with her own as she smiled as calmly as she could.

“Nadine, your mind’s playing tricks on you, darling.”

Nadine shook her head.

“No! I thought I saw her before at the bakery, but I wasn’t so sure, but this time I saw her!”

Chloe gaped at her in shock.

“You saw her before?”

“YES!” Nadine cried out in frustration, wonder why none of her comrades seemed to take this note seriously. Weren’t they all supposed to have each other’s backs and support each other’s thoughts, no matter how insane it seemed?

Cutter rubbed the back of his shaved head.

“Well, unless she’s figured out how to be in two places at once, I can’t say I am believing this, Nadine.”

Nadine stopped moving in Chloe’s grip, looking dully at Cutter after she’d heard this news.

“What’re you talking about?”

“Nadine, Frau Lina’s overseas with her husband.” Sully spoke calmly, looking at the fireplace, his facial expression hard and unreadable.

Cutter nodded, “It’s true; been tracking them for a while, and I hacked into video surveillance of them back in Moscow. They’ve been there since yesterday afternoon, her husband gave a speech in front of political party members not even a few hours ago.”

Nadine suddenly pushed Chloe’s hands down and away from her face.

“Are you suggesting I’m lying?”

Cutter shook his head.

“We’re just suggesting that you think you saw something, when in reality, you saw something entirely different, love!” Chloe offered, trying to soothe and calm her shaking friend.

Nadine shook her head, not fully believing this. They were all against her, taking sides! What kind of teamwork was this?

“I know I saw her…”

She looked up to look at Sam, who carefully regarded her.

“Sam!” She cried out, hoping that at least he would believe her and hear her out.

“Nadine, drop it.” He sighed, exhaustion very heavy and obvious in his voice.

She broke out of Chloe’s hold on her, and approached Sam, arms reaching for his, which he held out of her way, backing up and slightly out of the area.

“Don’t.” He warned in a soft, but firm tone, his thick, dark brown eyebrows set in a strong, flat line across his forehead.

“Sam…I know what I saw, you have to listen to me!” She couldn’t believe she was pleading with a Drake…

Sam placed a hand over his forehead, waving her off with another hand.

“Just stop!”

His voice suddenly raised in volume, effectively making everyone else in the room freeze stiff.

Nadine’s eyes lowered to the floor, and she felt her heart sink down there as well.

“Why don’t you trust me?” She asked in a soft, subdued tone of voice, trying to will herself not to break out in tears.

Sam began walking away, choosing not to answer her until he got to the end of the den. He paused, taking in a deep breath.

“I’m not gonna let you get us all killed.” He spoke once, and his words seemed to be final, as they were what everyone else had either been thinking or feeling, and they all lowered their heads and nodded in agreement.

Once Sam had left, Cutter followed, and Chloe held her arms supportively around Nadine’s back and waist, trying to get her to leave the room while Sully sat, staring ahead coldly at the fireplace.

“No one believes me…no one…no one…”

“Shhh.” Chloe tried to comfort her as they left the room, and the fire cackled and danced away, leaving shadows on the walls and ceiling.

Sully sat still, the flames of the fire reflecting in the light of his eyes, and he fought hard within himself as he tugged on the ends of his silver mustache. He felt they all should have at least listened to Nadine, but he felt he had no power anymore within the group. Sam had been right, and he was getting too damn old for this shit.

“Happy Birthday, Victor-god-damn-Sullivan.”


	11. A Thief's Deception

**A Thief’s Deception**

 

Nadine usually never lost track of time, her bearings, or her duties, especially not when she was working with a team who relied on her resources heavily for survival. She was used to conserving her energy to last her for days on end without much sleep, her mind and eyes constantly alert and running on thoughts she refused to let go of without proper evidence pointing to the contrary. It didn’t matter whether her team thought she was chasing ghosts into the night; she knew the difference between reality and visions, and she knew she wasn’t crazy…she had seen the damn, vile woman in the shop, and she chose to keep her persistence to herself, for the time being.

She retired to her room for most of the night, barely falling asleep until early dawn, and just when she had closed her eyes and felt her mind drifting off into a numb slumber, her bedroom door had opened with a loud ‘bang’! as it slammed against a wall. Footsteps walking steadily towards her bed registered in her mind, and she threw aside the covers swiftly, getting into defensive mode.

Nadine bolted upright quickly; grabbing a large hunting knife by her bedside resting on a night table, and she aimed it right at Chloe’s long, thin neck…

“Good morning to you too, mate.” Chloe gave Nadine a very unimpressed look, pushing aside the sharp knife away from her throat, a small breakfast tray in her hands.

Nadine looked down at the assortment of fruits, biscuits, and tea on the tray. She inhaled the delicious goodies and frowned when she saw a bowl of porridge next to the tea cup. She turned her nose at it immediately, wanting to dismiss the odd childhood memories that had crept in her mind as soon as she’d laid eyes on the porridge.

Chloe eyed her disgusted stare and giggled.

“What’d I do wrong now?” She asked as she grabbed a tea cup and placed it on the night table while making room for herself on the edge of the bed, shifting comfortably until she’d created herself a small spot.

“Porridge?” Nadine hissed, “…what am I? Two?”

Chloe shrugged, grabbing a silver spoon off the tray and using it to stir some sugar cubes she’d dumped within the teacup.

Nadine sighed as she heard the sugar breaking off and clinking around inside the cup with the spoon.

She was amazed to see that Chloe was still in her nightclothes; a simple black tank top with black shorts, and small white socked feet resting beneath her on the bed.

“It’s what my dad used to give me whenever I’d had a bad dream, or a lack of a good night’s rest.” She stated as she stirred Nadine’s tea, then looked at the other woman with kind, warm, gentle eyes.

Nadine felt something inside her soften, but she shook it off and pushed it back down before it could rise.

“Well I don’t need mothering, thank you.”

Chloe gave her a lopsided smile in response and pushed the cup to Nadine’s hands.

“I don’t want it.” She pushed the cup back down onto the tray, choosing instead to stare out the bright yellow windows, the sun streaming in rather beautifully, despite the mood she’d woken up in.

Chloe sighed, “I’m worried for you, Nadine, we all are.”

Nadine scoffed standoffishly, “Sure you all are.”

“We are!”

“Why would you all be concerned and worried about someone you think is crazy?” Nadine spat, sitting back to rest her back against the headboard of the bed, arms crossed over her chest as she awaited Chloe’s response. She’d love to see her worm her way out of this truth.

Chloe gaped at her, “What makes you think that?”

“You heard how everyone treated me last night; you participated in it, yourself!” She hissed with venom and bile in her throat.

Chloe shook her head, some loose strands of hair falling like bangs over her forehead and curtaining her face slightly out of Nadine’s view.

“That’s not what we think; we just think you are taking this maybe a bit too seriously, Nadine.”

“Well, someone’s got to.” Nadine growled, turning away as Chloe grabbed the bowl of porridge and held it beneath her nose.

Chloe held the bowl tightly in her hands, unmoving for a moment before she spoke.

“We just don’t want you getting hurt.” Her answer hadn’t satisfied or convinced Nadine of anything, and she defiantly glared at Chloe’s lame answer.

Chloe raised both eyebrows, eyes widening slightly at the sight of Nadine before her.

“Don’t give me that look, we’ve all been where you are right now.”

“Whatever.”

Chloe fussed, “We have!”, she fidgeted on the bed some more, and it caused Nadine’s temper to slightly flare, “…we’re all sympathetic to you, Nadine.”

Nadine tilted her head and snorted, “I wouldn’t call this ‘sympathetic’.”

“Then what would you call it?” Chloe asked curiously.

“Annoying.”

Chloe nodded, but it seemed as if she was merely agreeing with Nadine for the sake of calming her down, rather than really understanding her enough to soothe and support her…not that she needed support…

Chloe raised the bowl of porridge up, eyes shining as she offered the meal to Nadine.

“At least have this!” She argued, watching as Nadine backed away as much as she could, her neck stretched out and eyes shut tightly.

“You’re so bloody difficult all the time!” Chloe laughed, digging the spoon in the porridge and taking a bite of it herself.

Nadine watched and shook her head.

“Child.”

“This is actually very good!” Chloe hummed as she pointed at the bowl in her hands and smiled gleefully from ear-to-ear.

Nadine looked down at her lap. She’d never felt so out of place, even though she knew Chloe was trying her best to patch things up and fix the obvious detachments that had taken place within the group. Chloe was always something of the ‘counsellor’ and mediator, and Nadine suddenly felt badly, wondering when they’d all chosen to select Chloe for such a role.

Nadine watched as Chloe devoured the porridge, happy as ever to do so.

_She does indeed play the part well, though._

Nadine sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

“So what do you want?”

Chloe gasped, and wiped her mouth with a small napkin.

“Rude!”

“I don’t like having my time wasted, Frazer.” Nadine reminded, trying to remain calm, despite feeling a headache already brewing.

Chloe sat, eating for a while, and it irritated Nadine, the other woman knowing fully well that Choe was playing something of a small ‘game’ in the sense that she knew the answers to Nadine’s question, yet she was deliberately taking her time and withholding the information.

Finally, Chloe finished her meal, and set the tray down on the floor.

“Another minute of that, and I was going to wallop you.” Nadine threatened, and Chloe broke out in a small chipper laugh, completely unphased by the comment.

“I’m serious!”

Chloe straightened her clothes and hair, seemingly bored, despite small chuckles escaping her.

“I know, love.”

Nadine waited patiently until Chloe had gathered the breakfast tray off the floor, straightened herself out some more, and cleaned up a bit in the mirror.

“Out with it, then!” Nadine growled, wondering how much longer Chloe intended to carry this game out for.

Chloe began walking backwards towards the door.

“Be ready in five; we’re taking Cutter along with us to see the weird symbols Sam said you’d found.”

Nadine suddenly recalled the odd markings and the burnt huts and stumps, but then paused when she repeated Chloe’s words to herself.

“He said I found them?” She whispered to herself, and it went unheard by Chloe, who’d backed out of the room and left her alone to prepare for the morning’s journey.

“~~~~~~~~”

Nadine may have been in a foul mood that morning, but her mood wasn’t above clouding her judgement and observations, and she clearly noted that Victor Sullivan wasn’t looking the best that day. Perhaps he’d also been unable to sleep, but she noticed that he’d been sweating profusely as the team gathered around a table in the den, Sam revealing the markings in the camera as Chloe jotted down notes in her journal, Cutter listening on and nodding.

Nadine peered on, feeling her concern flood her veins as she observed Victor trying to keep his eyes open, though they seemingly were closing on their own accord, and his body began drooping forward. He straightened his posture out quickly every time it happened, and Nadine knew he was consciously trying to make sure no one was watching him and catching on…

His eyes met hers as he looked in her direction, and he offered her a tired, worn out smile.

Nadine didn’t smile back as she watched the rest of the group gather what they needed before they headed out to locate the markings.

“Victor?” Sam’s voice broke through the silence after they’d packed, Cutter out the door already, while Nadine and Chloe hung back, watching Sully as he struggled to get up. His legs shook slightly, but the clever old man hid it relatively well as he stretched and offered a mock yawn.

“You comin’ or what?” Sam asked, and his voice was right on the edge of being concerned, Nadine sensed.

Victor waved a hand at them; a cigar already being fished out of a package in his shirt pocket.

“Nah it’s alright; I’ll hang back and take a small nap, if it’s alright with you guys.”

Chloe placed her hands on her hips.

“You didn’t sleep well either?”

He shook his head, “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”

Before they could ask more questions, he sat down on a couch and lit his cigar.

“Get outta here, kids.”

Smoke billowed around his dark form as he sat, the lights dimmed and giving an eerier, deadly feel to the room.

“You heard the man.” Sam pushed out the door, with Chloe and Nadine reluctantly following as they closed the door gently.

They’d walked in silence for a while, Cutter ahead, mapping out coordinates, while Sam avoided the same rocks and branches Nadine and he had a few days ago, their boots crushing more footprints the mud still bore, wiping away and creating more evidence of their presence simultaneously.

Chloe looked worried, her head hung low, eyes set somewhere beneath their feet while she carried a red bag at her side, and Nadine strapped rope, weapons (just in case), and a bottle of water on a brown backpack.

She couldn’t bear the concerned, frightened look on her friend’s face anymore, and she gently rested a hand on Chloe’s shoulder, giving her a small, but firm shake.

“Hey.”

Chloe snapped her eyes up, though her head and neck didn’t move as she walked a bit slower so Nadine could catch up to her and they walked side-by-side.

“Hey.”

“Cutter! Slow down!” Ahead of them, Sam’s voice gruffly barked out to Cutter, who stood a few feet away on the top of a rock, waving at them.

“You’re too bloody slow, the lot of you!” Cutter roared and laughed, quickly avoiding a small stone Sam picked up and flung at him.

“Areshole!”

“Right back at ya, buddy!” Sam laughed, racing ahead to catch up to Cutter quickly, mud flailing as he took heavy, strong steps.

Chloe and Nadine both shook their heads as they watched the two grown men laugh and pull at each other’s clothing, aiming small punches at each other.

“Boys will be boys.”

“Ja.”

They walked a bit slower, Nadine leading the pace and setting it so that Sam and Cutter wouldn’t be able to hear her next words.

“Victor’s unwell.”

Chloe looked even more worried, her black eyebrows digging tightly onto her brow, and she nodded firmly.

“I know.” Her voice was rather soft and higher in pitch, and Nadine wondered if she was fighting back the urge to cry…

“We can’t let them find out,” Nadine carried on, gesturing to Cutter and Sam, who were engaged in a small boxing match on the top of the rock, now; Sam deftly avoiding Cutter’s strong, thick fists as they swung through the air, “…not until we get back, anyway.”

“I know.” Chloe repeated, sounding and looking defeated as they finally caught up to the other two.

“What’re you doing?” Nadine glared as she placed her hands on her hips and shook her head, tilting her head and chin up to gaze at the grown men as if they were children.

“Just a little match between the guys, Nadine.” Cutter answered, leaping off the rock and moving ahead a little, knowing they were in trouble.

Sam approached her, his smile still evident on his lips, but the longer Nadine glared at the back of Charlie’s head, the more Sam’s smile began to die away.

“Give us a break, Nadine; we’re just tryin’ to let some cabin fever pent-up frustrations out of our system.”

She shook her head, raising a hand up before he could say anything else, and she walked closely behind Cutter.

Sam scoffed and turned to Chloe, a hand up and gesturing in the direction Nadine had walked in.

“Can you believe her?” His eyebrows were raised in confusion and he shook his head and followed their trail.

Chloe held her arms across her chest and looked back down at her feet, following in silence.

“~~~~~~~~”

It felt like an hour before they’d reached the camp-like area Sam and Nadine had first discovered the strange symbol in, and Sam lead the group towards the line of burnt tree stumps. He knelt down and pointed at the one bearing the mark.

“Nadine found it here on this one.”

Nadine looked at the stump, ignoring the fact that Sam was lying to the rest of the group. Whatever game Sam Drake was playing currently, she wasn’t interested in participating in; not when they had an ill Victor Sullivan back at their cabin waiting for them to return with good news that would lead them closer to the disc.

The games and drama could be addressed at a later time, but Nadine did wonder why he had insisted that it was she who had made the initial discovery. Perhaps he had done so out of some weird form of misbegotten guilt? Who knew the machinations of the mind of Sam Drake…

“There it is!” Cutter gasped and laughed, running his rough hands over the marking and looking at the group in a firm nod.

“So what’s it mean, then?”

They hadn’t been prepared for that question, and they stood around for a moment, thinking.

“Let’s look for more.” Chloe offered, and she didn’t wait for anyone. She threw off her gear for a moment, dropping it into the grass, and began walking around.

Not wanting her to waste her time, Nadine followed her, calling out to her.

“I looked myself, yet couldn’t find any more, Chloe.”

Sam jogged closely behind, “Yeah it’s futile.”

Chloe suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned and glared at them both.

Nadine felt threatened and began to wonder what she had said or done to earn this kind of glare from Chloe. She’d never really seen Chloe this angry, except for when they’d taken Asav down together…it was the look of pure anger and rage.

Eyes wrinkling at the corners due to the intensity of her glares, Chloe tugged at her ponytail, which hung across her chest over her right-hand shoulder.

“Well we certainly can’t head back to Victor empty-handed now, can we?” Her tone suggested that the answer was obvious, and Sam and Nadine exchanged awkward glances when Cutter’s voice interrupted the tension.

“I found something, you bunch of nannies!”

Chloe was the first one to run back to where she thought she’d heard his voice emanating from. Sam and Nadine trailed behind, not exactly taking their time, but not as eager to reach Cutter either.

He was inside one of the burnt huts, the roof caved in and brushed to the side to rest among more dirt and debris, Cutter’s head poking out from the top as he stood on the top of a small bed and pointed at a wall.

“Here it is again!”

Sam pushed the rest of the caved-in-ceiling out of the way, holding what threatened to fall down further out of the way, while Chloe and Nadine crouched on top of the bed and sat next to Cutter.

The marking indeed was there, however, this time, it looked different than the one on the tree stump…

“It’s not the same.” Nadine shook her head, already turning back to head out.

Cutter’s smile fell. “It’s not?”

“It’s not!” Nadine growled angrily, taking another look at the symbol before pointing at it.

“The other one had a line at the far right at the top; whereas this one has a line further at the center, bottom.”

“Are you sure?” Cutter asked, peering and squinting at the symbol, as if it had magically changed in a second.

Nadine rolled her eyes and moved back out of the hut, shrugging past Sam.

“I’m pretty damn sure.”

“Bloody hell…”

They moved out of the hut, walking past some small stonework and statues; some rusted, some broken, and other stacks of hay, rubble, and dirt piled up and seemingly half-burnt. It seemed like an obstacle course the more they walked on, and they walked past a small structure that seemingly may have been a loft or a barn at one point, though they couldn’t exactly tell.

Large piles of ash blew about as they walked through the foundation, the old wood creaking beneath their feet, the tables and chairs within burnt mostly, leaving stumps and unrecognizable bits of furniture scattered about.

Some pots and dishes were half-broken lying about, while other tools and pieces of farming equipment were hanging on the walls, rusted and some of them caked with thick layers of dark mud. The air inside was musky, yet still, the smell of ash and smoke perfumed in the air about them.

Nadine wondered just how old these items and tools were, and she walked over to inspect a large shovel, reaching out to touch it. Her fingers ran along the handle, and she rested her other hand on the wall while she felt a presence behind her.

“Nothing to see here.” Cutter observed the tools as well, moving along the way to grab a pitchfork and he threw it to the ground after a minute of studying it.

“This is all a bloody waste of time, folks.” He spoke aloud their thoughts, and Nadine nodded slowly, walking back and looking up at the rafters, as if a miracle or an answer would descend from up there.

Sam kicked a small, rusted, handle-less bucket across the floor.

“Yeah, well, it may be a waste of time to you, but we came here for a reason.”

Cutter shoved his hands deep in his pockets, and his chest puffed out in a threatening stance as he faced Sam.

He tilted his head in disapproval, eyes squinting as he looked at Sam, “Yeah, well maybe you like having your time wasted, mate, but I don’t.”

Sam frowned quickly and advanced, “What’re you tryin’ to sa-”

Cutter quickly walked in Sam’s direction, “And furthermore, you ought to learn you-”

“WOULD YOU TWO SHUT IT?!?!”

They all yelped and jumped in fright at the sound and intensity of Chloe’s tone.

Chloe had stood at one of the tables in a corner in the structure, pointing at the surface of the flat wood.

Nadine was the first to be at her side, following the line of direction her finger was pointed in, and she smiled when she saw the symbol etched in the wood, beneath some goblets and worn-out utensils.

“Clever, Frazer.”

Sam and Cutter poked around their shoulders, standing behind them, eager to see what they saw.

Cutter groaned and slammed a hand down on the table when he saw the symbol.

“Chloe, no!”

“Yes!” She argued back, not turning to look at him.

“Darling, it’s not the same symbol!”

Sam nodded, “The line’s at the very bottom, now, and the dot is still in the center, but still…”

“Don’t you two get it?” Chloe finally spun around and faced them, a disappointed, angry expression painted on her beautiful face. She had clearly had enough of the two.

Cutter rubbed his head and spoke to answer, but then closed his mouth, then opened it again, gaped at her and then shook his head in defeat.

“Got nothing, love.”

Chloe sighed and sat at the tabletop, hand still resting on the mark.

“I’m amazed with you two, you know that?” She said in a dull tone, crossing one leg over the other, appearing proud as she stretched her body upward and sat straight.

Cutter flung his hands in the air, while Sam frowned.

“Well I was never really good at twenty-one questions, you know!”

Cutter nodded, “Make your point, love!”

Nadine laughed, “Years of treasure hunting and you haven’t pieced it together?”

“TELL US!” Both men roared in unison, causing the two women to throw their heads back and laugh boisterously.

“They’re coordinates!” Chloe answered simply, throwing her hands up and folding them behind her head as she stretched her back.

Sam and Cutter wore matching dull, blank facial expressions, and it had appeared that they hadn’t heard or paid any attention.

“Come again?” Sam asked, leaning forward and crossing his arms over his chest, chin sticking out at Chloe accusingly.

Nadine answered before Chloe could grow wearier of their antics.

“See a pattern, Sam?”

He shook his head at her, “Nah, still drawing blanks, Nadine, so explain it to me like I’m five!”

Nadine gently grabbed Chloe’s hands and pulled her off the tabletop.

She pulled out a long knife from the inside of her boot, and began carving away at the table, while Chloe pushed away the other trinkets and items left abandoned on the table, making room for Nadine as she etched and carved quickly from memory.

They all watched in awe, and when she was finished, she sat down at the table and pointed at the symbols. She had drawn them all side-by-side in sequences exactly as they’d found and remembered them.

She pointed at the first one on the left, right at the vertical line at the top right hand.

“What’s this, Sam?”

Sam gaped, but Cutter pushed him aside, hands pressed palm-down on the surface of the table as he leaned forward with lots of energy.

“It’s a bloody line, Miss Ross!”

She sighed.

“Now that that’s all clear, can we head back to the damn cabin? This place is giving me the willies.”

“NO!” Chloe pushed him back and glared at him.

Nadine watched as Sam approached, while Cutter allowed Chloe to hold him back as he shook his head and waved his hands at them as if he were swatting away annoying houseflies.

“It’s South-East.” Sam answered, finally catching onto Nadine’s point.

Her finger moved to the second carving, landing on the vertical lines each time.

“And this?”

“East.”

She smiled and moved to the next one.

“What about this one?”

“North-West.”

“It’s a map.”

Sam sat beside her, eyes still on the carvings, his teeth shining as he smiled, but then worry creeped onto his features.

“A map for what, though?”

Cutter nodded, “We already have a location to the disc, so this is pointless.”

“What if it’s not, though?” Nadine’s eyes landed on Sam’s, and his met hers a few seconds later.

She continued, eyes still on Sam’s, “What say we take this back to Victor?”

Sam smiled, eyes still with hers.

“Show and tell?”

She smirked.

“You got it.”

“~~~~~~~~”

Victor held the camera in his hands as they presented the pictures of Nadine’s carvings one-by-one, and he was silent until they’d shown them all to him and explained their theory.

“A container.”

His single-worded comment took them all by surprise.

“A what?” Chloe asked, sitting beside him on a couch and grabbing the camera to look at the photos again, as if she wasn’t able to believer her eyes or ears.

Sully chuckled, his hair matted to his forehead, and he reached up and brushed it away.

Nadine frowned at his appearance. Was it suddenly hotter than usual in the cabin? He’d slept with the windows open…

“I guess this is what happens in old age; I forgot to mention that the Nebra Sky Disc isn’t something that can be hand-held.” He sat up, his hands gripping his kneecaps as he looked at the group standing around him.

Nadine bit her lower lip before asking, “Why not?”

Sully looked down at the floor and paused, before looking at her.

“It’s not a man-made collectable, let’s just put it that way.”

Sam laughed suddenly, clapping his hands together.

“So the legend is true?”

Nadine looked at him in confusion. “What legend?”

Sully tapped his hands over his kneecaps for a moment, the sound making a soft pitter patter rhythm.

“Well according to what I’ve read, the Disc itself is actually a part of a meteor that fell from the sky a million years ago, and since then, anyone who has touched it with their bare hands,” he paused, and coughed a few times, bending over and catching his breath, “…shit, well, let’s just say they didn’t really live to tell the damn tale!”

He resumed his coughs, his voice dying down on the last word.

Immediately, Sam and Cutter began patting him on the back, shouting if he was okay, if he could breathe, while Chloe ran to grab him a glass of water. Through all the commotion, Victor suddenly snapped up, his coughing ending once Chloe placed the glass of water to his lips, and he batted it away, smiling at her through watery, pink eyes.

“I’m fine, I’m fine!”

She pressed on, “No you’re not!”

Sam shook his head, “Victor, please…”

“I’m fine, you big bunch of babies!” Sully stood up, patting his clothing down, and hopping on his feet a bit. He looked silly, but Nadine knew he was trying his hardest to prove a point.

“See? Just a little wrung up, that’s all!”

“Victor, you sly bastard!” Cutter laughed, placing a hand over his chest across his heart.

“Yeah you nearly gave me a fright!” Sam slapped Sully across the back and laughed, making sure he was okay, as he looked at him carefully.

Sully smirked and ruffled Sam’s thick brown hair.

“As if you’ve never had a common cold, you moron.”

Chloe shook her head, standing to offer Victor a small hug.

“Why didn’t you tell us before?”

Sully laughed, “Because you’d worry?”

“We’ll worry anyway.” Nadine’s soft voice broke their little celebration and laughter, and they all soon cleared their throats, shuffling their feet.

“So we can only hold the disc within the container?” Sam asked, grabbing the camera to look at the photos again, eyes flying up and down the screen like a child on Christmas morning finding his gifts.

It was amazing to Nadine how quickly he could go from being concerned to almost child-like and innocent…though he had slaughtered many of her own men, and who knew how many lives he’d taken prior to that…

Sully nodded, pacing up to Sam, “Fraid so, Sam, the fires of that damn disc still burn within, so they say.”

“First we get the container, then we get the disc!” Cutter announced, and they all nodded, confirming that plan.

Sully raised a hand, finger pointing up at the ceiling.

“Although, I figured,” he began, smirking widely, “…since you’ve all been hard at work, why not celebrate this little progress? Hmm?”

Sam broke out in a chipper laugh, “I like the sound of that, Victor.”

“There’s a bar I wanted to check out since we drove up here.” Victor winked at him.

“And it is Friday, anyway.” Cutter continued happily, cheeks red with excitement.

Sully’s hands fell at his sides and he laughed, “Well what the hell are you all waiting for then? A damn invitation?”

They all quickly got up to get ready for a night out of drinking and dancing, leaving their concerns, questions, thoughts, and suspicions inside the cabin as they showered, cleaned up, and put on their best clothing for the night.

Nadine was the first one down at the door, and she looked at herself in the hallway mirror across the bathroom. She looked radiant, though she wouldn’t admit it to anyone but herself.

She was wearing a white, cold shoulder-blouse, with a front tie, and dark blue skinny jeans that showed off her curves and features. She knew she looked gorgeous, and she felt proud of herself, for once. She usually wasn’t the type to pay a lot of attention to her appearances, but she felt this was well-deserved.

She grabbed her make-up and surveyed the empty hallway, eyes landing on the bathroom, and lowering to the light beneath the doorframe.

There was someone in there, otherwise she would have done the rest of her make-up in the bathroom.

She hurried to put on the rest of her eyeliner and eyeshadow, admiring her semi-wavy hair as it hung down to hang just slightly above her shoulder-blades. Like her mother, her hair loosened its curly luster the longer it grew…

She stopped applying the make-up, remembering her mother’s voice, lovely kind eyes, and warm laughter, though it was on a rare occasion she’d ever gotten to hear it.

Suddenly, loud coughing and the clearing of a throat from behind the bathroom door broke through her thoughts, and she shook in fright.

It sounded like Sully, and he sounded pained as he heaved and coughed a few more times, each cough growing more violent than the previous one as Nadine approached the bathroom door carefully avoiding some squeaky floorboards.

She pressed her ear against the door, listening as the sound of running water was heard, and then a sigh.

Nadine was about to knock on the door just then, but she was interrupted by Cutter and Chloe heading down.

They were dressed in their best; Chloe wearing a tight, flashy bright pink casual top and a short black skirt, while Cutter wore a leather jacket and jeans. He’d at least taken the time to shave, and he smelled very clean, though his cologne wasn’t as over-powering as Sam’s.

“Ready?” Chloe asked, and as if on cue, the bathroom door unlocked and opened, and Victor stood before them, looking a lot better than he had when they’d first stumbled upon him earlier the same day.

“Sure am!”

Cutter laughed, grabbing Sully's shoulders briefly, and tugged his earlobe playfully.

“You’re paying for everything, just so you know.”

He pet Sully’s cheek and laughed, heading out to the car with Chloe following in tow.

Sully looked defeatedly at Nadine, “Always am!”

Nadine smiled warmly as she watched Sully begin to put on a grey coat, and she helped him with the sleeves, watching as he winced and struggled to get both his hands in, but he finally did as best he could, sweat gathering on his forehead. Once the coat was on, he pulled out another long, unlit cigar from the pockets.

Nadine placed a hand over Sully’s once he’d located his lighter and held it over the cigar.

“Victor…”

He looked up at her, his grey, kind eyes searching hers for something.

“Something wrong?”

She looked down at the cigar, and then back up at him.

“I think you should just go one night without…. you know…” She left her sentence unfinished, a long strand of wavy hair falling and covering her eye, and Victor reached up and brushed it away from her eyes.

“Don’t worry about me, kiddo.” He winked at her and smiled, though it seemed slightly pained.

“Worry about what?”

They both turned at the sound of Sam’s voice.

Sam stood a few steps behind Sully, and Nadine paused as she took in his appearance.

He’d looked the same as he always had, yet tonight, something was definitely different. Like Cutter, he’d shaved, and styled his hair back like he usually did, and he seemed full of life in a double-breasted lapel long sleeve button-up slim fit shirt and brand new black jeans.

Nadine didn’t want to admit it, but he appeared less scruffy than she’d often known him to be. He usually resembled a homeless man, and she thought of him as much in the past, but tonight, he looked stunning.

She felt her cheeks flare the more she stared at his appearance, so she turned, looping an arm around Sully’s, and she walked with him outside towards the car without responding to Sam.

“Wanna be my date tonight, Victor?”

He chuckled as he stuffed the cigar back in his pockets.

“I guess it’s still technically my birthday after all.”

Sam quickly turned off the rest of the lights, and in a haste, he forgot to turn off the bathroom light.

He stood before the mirror, giving himself a small grin and winking at his reflection. He turned to walk out, before something in the bathroom sink caught his eye a second before he’d shut off the light.

He flipped the switch on, trying to locate the exact area he’d thought he’d seen it in, and when he grew closer to the sink, he felt his heart and stomach cave in when his eyes fell onto the small drop of blood near the drain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Sully :'(


	12. Precarious Nature

**Precarious Nature**

The bar/nightclub was less than a twenty-minute drive from their cabin, and busier than they’d expected, though it was a Friday night. Large groups of people stood outside waiting to be admitted inside, and Nadine was surprised to see a wide age group. The club wasn’t filled with twenty-year-olds as she originally presumed, and once they’d been invited inside, she walked towards the bar with Sully, still holding onto his hand carefully.

She knew she was fussing over him, as her grip was a lot tighter than merely how a friend would hold hands with another to escort them somewhere; she was holding onto him as if he would fall apart at any second.

Sully winced at her grip, or perhaps at the intensity and volume of the music as it blared loudly on speakers mounted highly on most of the walls in the club, some European band playing on and the singer singing in German.

Nadine ignored the words as she sat beside Sully, while he ordered himself and Nadine drinks.

The nightclub looked no different than any other ones Nadine had been in previously; a large dance-floor lit up with brightly odd lights. Weird confetti kept falling from the ceiling, and showed off swaying and energetic bodies of men and women as they kissed, groped, and danced about wildly, having the time of their lives, while lines of other customers ordered beverages and sat about at small tables around the outside of the dance-floor, drinking, laughing, and just passing the time.

Nadine felt Sully tap on her shoulder, and she turned and offered him a smile that said she was sorry for being distracted.

“Scotch?” He asked, looking back at the bartender, who had a shaved head and was wearing a reddish purple tux.

Nadine laughed, “Not my brand of poison, Victor, but since it wasn’t the best of birthdays…”

He interrupted with a raised hand, while the bartender grabbed two glasses and began pouring once the ice was in.

“It’s alright; I never hold a grudge.”

Nadine smirked at him and pushed back some of her hair. The air inside the club smelled of perfume, sweat, alcohol, smoke, and a lot of high-strung emotions. Smelling it all made Nadine slightly dizzy as she watched Sully grab his glass and clink it next to hers.

“Ladies first.”

Nadine swished the beverage around in her cup, watching lazily as it slid around and created a small tide-like-wave every time she pushed it from one hand to the next.

Sully snorted next to her, “Bored of me already? Guess I’m losing my touch…”

She gasped and frowned, feeling guilty, “No, no, Victor, I just have a lot on my mind!”

He laughed, “It’s alright, I understand.”

Cutter danced up to the stools they were perched on with Chloe closely behind him, and their chests heaved as they panted heavily, their cheeks set aflame. They looked each other and laughed heartily as if they were in on an inside joke of their own.

Sully puffed, gulping down another sip of his drink.

“You two better not be laughing at me!” He pointed at them both, seemingly angry, but a twinkle in his eyes gave away his real mood.

A few sweaty bodies moved around as more people began to order their drinks, and their voices soon grow louder than Nadine could bear. It made understanding what Cutter and Chloe said nearly impossible, and Nadine hadn’t been gifted with the skill of lip-reading, so she shook her head and yelled:

“WHAT!?”

“WHERE’S OUR DRINKS?!?” Cutter yelled back, grabbing Chloe and pulling her to his chest as a large, burly man with black hair tried to approach her.

“Piss off, mate!” He growled and sniffed Chloe’s hair, causing her to yelp as she swatted at him.

He began growing impatient, and it was clearly obvious, as he showed his teeth menacingly at the other suitor, and then turned to yell at Sully.

"OUR DRINKS!" He roared like an petulant child

“BUY YOUR OWN!” Sully yelled back, shaking his head and sighing a long, exhausted sigh that was slightly dramatic, but hilarious, nonetheless.

“WHAT?” Cutter cried back as more people hooted and cheered while the music changed tracks to a heavy metal type of song.

The man with the black hair who’d had his eye on Chloe tried advancing again, and this time, Cutter began pulling back on Chloe’s shoulders, and they soon began getting lost in the sea of dancing, swaying bodies behind the bar.

“When we get back, we better have those bloody drinks, Victor!” Chloe’s words didn’t go unheard, and Sully gave her a small wave as he watched her dance with Cutter.

“Quite the couple.” He sighed and looked at the bartender, tapping his cup.

“Another round, monsieur.”

Nadine finished her first one and gestured for another.

“Me too.”

They had barely had a few more sips when a large, masculine hand slammed down on the right side of the counter by Nadine’s elbow.

She looked up at a panting Sam Drake, his hair slightly ruffled, but otherwise looking fine.

“Room for one more?” He sat himself beside Nadine, looking at the bartender and pointing at a glass.

“I’ll have whatever they’re having.”

“Where the hell were you?” Nadine immediately accused, watching as his cheeks reddened a bit as he turned to look at her.

“Well pardon me, Miss Ross, but this place doesn’t exactly have valet!”

Sully hummed, staring at a wall, “Parking’s brutal.”

Sam rubbed his back, “Brutal!”

A rather tipsy, older woman with a pixie cut soon breezed by, stopping as she regarded Sully, a small hand reaching down to loop around his neck.

“Well hello there, handsome.”

“Oh Christ.” Sam threw his head back and laughed, and Nadine looked on, amusement displayed on her face clearly as they observed the woman trying to chat up Victor Sullivan. She was brazen enough to almost be on his lap, her legs slightly spread invitingly as she looked lustfully at him.

"Are you here alone?" She asked in a husky tone of voice that dripped nothing but lust and excitement.

Sully looked back at his two comrades and smiled foxily, "Yes, I usually am."

She hummed and drew her body closer to his in response, talking softly now.

Sam wrinkled his nose at the older couple, “I wonder if she’s lookin’ to puke on him.”

Nadine gave him a look, “You’re horrid.”

“Just kidding!” Sam held up two hands as if she’d held him at gunpoint, and then he grabbed his glass and downed the rest of the contents within seconds.

Nadine watched as his Adam’s Apple bobbed, a sign that he had finished his drink faster than he should have.

To the left of them, the older woman giggled, her bright, long, fancy earrings flashing in the light as she pressed her face against Sully’s, practically begging for the chance to get closer to him.

Nadine giggled, “Victor’s pulled, I’d say.”

Sam turned and looked them, nodding and smirking.

“He’s the man!”

Sam turned his body around so he could look at the dance-floor behind them, holding his empty cup in his hands as his eyes flew about the room, and he suddenly gasped, his jaw dropping quickly.

“Holy shit…”

Nadine paused her Victor-watching, and turned to look at Sam instead.

“What now?” Nadine turned around to look in the direction Sam was, and she felt her jaw drop just as Sam’s had moments prior.

In the center of the dance-floor stood Chloe, with her arms wrapped around the back of Cutter’s strong, thick neck, and their lips were upon each other’s, kissing passionately as other people danced and flung their bodies around them, jumping and leaping into the air as if celebrating a secret only known to them.

Sam coughed and sputtered in a strange mixture of amusement and embarrassment as their kisses grew more intense and passionate.

"Tongue action." Sam noted, pointing at them and then looking around awkwardly.

Nadine shook her head, “I guess it can’t be helped.”

Sam nervously scratched the back of his neck as he looked back at Nadine.

“So umm….wanna dance?”

Nadine nearly choked on the rest of her drink, coughing a little violently, which caused Sam to gently pat her on the back to get her to calm down.

“Geez, guess that answers it, huh?” He chuckled gently as he watched her carefully, eyes set in a hopeful manner as they tried to meet hers.

Nadine wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and glared at him, and Sam winced, taken aback.

“Is this some kind of sick prank?” Nadine hissed as she slid her glass away on the counter, standing and brushing her clothing off, wondering if she had spilled a drop on her new attire.

Sam gaped openly at her, a dumbfounded, confused expression on his face as his eyes turned slightly glassy.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Nadine crudely jabbed a finger at his chest, causing him to flinch involuntarily.

“Oh don’t play daft, Drake! I heard how you lied to everyone about how I found those damn symbols back at that camp!”

Sam began to answer, but she went on, “I don’t know what you’re up to, but I’m not in the mood for your games, do you hear me?”

He stood, standing tall over her, but it didn’t intimidate her as she glared up at him.

They stood staring at each other for minutes, breathing heavily in anger and frustration, before Sam finally gave her a sarcastic glare.

“Yes ma’am.”

He walked away from her, heading to get lost somewhere in the dancing masses, and Nadine didn’t bother to look after him as she sat back down on the stool, fuming. She stared at her glass as if it had answers and as if it could comfort her, when a loud feminine giggle broke her concentration.

She looked to the side and caught Sully pinching the woman’s thigh, and she laughed and whispered something in his ear, her lipstick smearing across his cheek, sloppy.

Nadine thought about ordering another drink for the purposes of burying and drowning her anger and resentment in, when she saw a man approaching her from the right side of the room.

She could anticipate the mess that was about to happen, and choosing to pay good attention to her premonition, she stood abruptly, making her way for the washrooms, when she caught Chloe and Cutter sitting at a table just a few feet away.

They looked so happy; Chloe’s arms draped still around Cutter’s neck, while he kissed her neck and cheeks, playing with her hair gently…

She wondered for how long they’d held this attraction, and she felt slightly envious of her two friends and colleagues.

Nadine swallowed thickly, and felt the man still approaching, so she abandoned the bathroom, and made her way towards the dance-floor.

She wasn’t sure where she was heading now, but anywhere except in front of that man, whoever he was, was a lot better than anything else. She made a beeline, hoping to lose him sooner rather than later, and she felt a few warm bodies rubbing against hers, and she groaned, recoiling and holding her hands up as she made her way through the crowd.

She walked past dark edges of the dance-floor, where couples stood, some making out, and others doing more lewd things, when she stopped dead-on in her tracks.

Her eyes grew wide and she felt her heart freeze in her rib cage, literally skipping a beat as she saw Sam Drake sitting at a small table with a long-legged Asian woman.

The woman had long, wavy black hair, and soft pale skin. She wore heavy make-up, and her teeth gleamed in the light as she smiled and rubbed Sam’s chest with her black-finger-nail-polished hands.

Nadine couldn’t believe it. Minutes ago, Sam had asked _her_ to dance, and now this…. this…. _thing_ was laughing, inches away from sitting on his lap, as if they knew each other for years and got along so well!

Nadine felt her blood begin to boil in her veins the longer she watched the young Asian woman laugh and joke with Sam. Sam wasn’t exactly refusing or denying her, either, and this seemed to infuriate Nadine further.

She moved to the side as a couple pushed past her, and she watched as the Asian woman planted a small kiss on Sam’s cheek.

Sam blushed immediately the second her rose-painted lips touched his skin, and Nadine glared on from the wall as Sam reached out and rubbed the Asian woman’s cheek with his thumb and index finger a few times before he leaned close and planted a kiss on her cheek in return.

That was it.

The fact that he had been proven to be such a lowly, disgusting, vile, perverted, womanizing bastard was enough to send Nadine completely on edge.

What was wrong with him? Why did he need to go and find some creature like _that?!?_

Nadine stood patiently, watching as Sam spoke softly to the woman, and she nodded and draped her legs across his lap, and he reached down and tenderly touched them, moving his hands up and down the length of them, looking down to admire them as his eyes lit up hungrily.

Nadine felt her anger flare the more he touched the woman, but she knew that having patience on her side was key.

If there was one thing working with mercenaries taught her, it was that having patience was the best thing. Patience would reward everyone, as the old saying went: “Good things come to those who wait…”

Nadine felt her eyes burning in her sockets as she mulled over her plan, watching patiently as the Asian woman bent under the table to pick up her kicked off black high heels, standing up and moving in front of Sam purposefully so he could stare at her ass…

Sam smirked as she walked away from the table, past Nadine, heading towards the washrooms…perfect.

Nadine followed quickly, trying to make it less obvious as she breezed past dancing people, blocking out their screams, hooting, and laughing as she stood in front of the Ladies Washroom door, pausing briefly before pushing the door open and heading inside.

The young Asian woman was standing in front of a mirror, re-applying her makeup, her lips pursed as she applied more lipstick.

Nadine’s heels clicked as she walked behind the woman, her reflection evident in the mirror on the wall behind the Asian woman.

The young woman looked at Nadine and offered her a small smile.

“Hello.”

Nadine didn’t respond; she merely glared as she crossed her arms over her chest.

She had made sure to check if they were alone in the washroom before she’d locked the door quickly, ensuring it made no sound as she then moved to come up behind the woman.

The Asian woman scoffed when she heard no response from Nadine, turning back around to attend to her facial decorations instead.

Nadine dully watched on as she applied more eyeliner, making her eyes look as if she’d been beaten up, rather than looking pretty. Nadine wondered why she thought such heavy makeup would even make her remotely attractive, when the woman raised her eyes in her reflection to look at Nadine’s reflection behind her.

“I’m not interested in women, so if that’s what you’re after, there’s a gay bar a few blocks down from here, okay?”

Nadine decided to toy with her, as a cat would a mouse.

“Oh? So you have a boyfriend then?” She asked lazily, looking at her tight skirt and shaking her head slightly. Why men like Sam found this appealing and sexy was beyond her comprehension.

The woman gave a small shrug.

“No that it is any of your damn business, but I’m with someone here tonight.”

Nadine raised an eyebrow, though she didn’t move from her spot.

“A man?”

The woman put away her lipstick in a small purse.

“Yes, I just met him, and he’s pretty tall and good-looking.”

Nadine felt her blood heating in her veins as if lit by a furnace, and she fought hard to keep calm.

“Sounds interesting…did he tell you his name?”

The Asian woman looked at her in confusion.

Nadine rolled her eyes, “Women should have each other’s backs, no?”

After moments of a pause, the woman searched her purse for more makeup.

“Listen, I just met him, and we’re going to a motel later, but again, none of your business, and I can handle myself.”

Nadine felt her blood drop from boiling to frozen stiff in her veins. Did she hear what she thought she’d heard?

This woman and Sam were going to a motel later?!?

She felt whatever semblance of control, calm, and composure seep away from her second by second, and she advanced closer to the woman, ignoring the way her facial features grew dark with malice and hatred in the mirror.

“You really think someone like _you_ is going to go home with Sam Drake?”

The Asian woman turned abruptly, dropping her eyeliner into the bathroom sink.

“You know his name?”

Nadine ignored the question, still approaching steadily.

“I wonder what on Earth he sees in you, really, because even if I were ‘interested in women’, as you put it before, I wouldn’t ever be caught dead with a dolled-up tart such as yourself.”

The woman threw her purse onto the bathroom counter violently.

“Excuse me!? You don’t even know who the hell you’re talking to!”

Nadine laughed, “I feel so sorry for the blokes you’ve had before, but someone’s got to break the truth to you.”

“Who the hell do you think you are!”

Nadine suddenly raised her hand and grabbed the young woman’s shoulder, slamming her roughly back against the wall, knocking her makeup off the bathroom counter as the contents fell and clattered to the floor.

“I know for certain that I’m not a colourful scamp; I know for a fact that I don’t have to grovel for a man’s attention, and I certainly know for a fact that I’m not in desperate need of a man’s touch…”

The Asian woman lost it, and she raised her leg to kick Nadine back, but Nadine was trained to read her moves exactly, and she backhanded her across the face swiftly, moving back a few steps and then grabbing the back of her neck roughly.

“Don’t!” The woman’s sharp nails dug into Nadine’s hands, but Nadine ignored the pain as adrenaline and anger pumped through her body. She strongly dragged the woman up to her feet, and threw her head-first into a bathroom stall door, and it swung open, causing the woman to stumble in and slam her body against the toilet.

“You god damn bitch!” Her voice was so annoying and shrill, now, and Nadine couldn't stand it any second longer. She itched for the moment she could knock her out cold...

Nadine grabbed her again by her shirt this time and yanked down one of the sleeves roughly.

“Why don’t you come back when you’ve learned how to dress like a proper woman?” Nadine kicked her once in the shins, and when the Asian woman had crouched over in pain, Nadine delivered one strong ending punch to her cheek.

The blow of it knocked her out cold onto the floor, and Nadine walked out of the stall, making sure to close and lock the door before heading back out into the club again.

She sat back down at the stool she’d sat at when they first entered the nightclub, though Sully was nowhere to be seen.

“Another Scotch, please!” Nadine called to the bartender, who looked slightly tired, but he gave her a small nod and began preparing the drink.

Nadine wondered where Sully had gone off to, and she looked back, searching the club for him. She noted some of the dancers had gotten tired and lazy, their dances turning out to be slow and uncoordinated. The music was still loud, however, and it gave Nadine a small headache, but she felt that the bigger headache had already disappeared.

It felt lovely to take things into her own hands.

She cheerfully watched, placing a hand under her chin as the bartender loaded ice into her cup, his movements well-versed and swift.

“One for your friend too?” He asked, gesturing with his chin stuck out beside Nadine.

Chloe smiled and nodded, taking a seat next to Nadine.

“Yeah, one for me too.”

Chloe grabbed her glass once the bartender slid it over to her and waited for Nadine to have hers. They smiled and drank side-by-side in silence, and Nadine looked to look on at Sam as he sat at the same table she’d discovered him at with the Asian woman.

He looked down at his cellphone, his face slightly glowing from the light of the screen, no doubt checking the time…waiting for his damn date…that vile creature…

Nadine felt her anger growing again, but then heard Chloe clear her throat as she leaned to the side and spoke to Nadine softly.

“So would you like to tell me why I stumbled upon a knocked-out Asian beauty in the bathroom, then?”

Nadine resisted the urge to panic. She sipped her drink coolly, looking at her ice as it bobbed up and down in the glass, floating in the beverage like an iceberg.

She shrugged, “It’s a club; people drink, dance, and do drugs.”

Chloe stared at her, clearly not buying it as her dark eyes zoned in on Nadine’s face carefully.

“Uh-huh.”

Nadine suddenly turned, and her eyes grew dark in malice. “Dressed like she was, probably got what she deserved.”

Chloe gasped, “Nadine…”

Nadine scoffed and sipped her drink, setting it back down afterwards, the movement rather strong as her glass clanked loudly against the counter. The sound and intensity of it earned her a dark frown from the bartender, though he didn't speak once Nadine threw him an even darker frown. 

“If you’re so concerned about it, why don’t you call security, or an ambulance?”

Chloe leaned in closer, her body half-off her stool.

“That’s not the point, love.”

Nadine smirked, “Sam asked me to dance earlier.”

Chloe paused, and her eyes widened slightly, a small half-smile forming on her lips.

“Really?”

“Ja.”

“And you said?”

“No.”

“No.”

Chloe leaned back and sighed, “Of course you’d say no.”

Nadine continued on, craning her neck down to hover just slightly above the glass of alcohol.

“And when I said no, I couldn’t believe he’d picked-”

“So that’s why you knocked her lights out?” Chloe interrupted, tsking and shaking her head.

Nadine growled under her breath, “I’m not admitting to anything.”

“Nadine, I know a thoroughly beaten-up person when I see one, no matter how well you think you can cover the evidence.”

Nadine abandoned her glass and drink, turning her whole body over to face Chloe, her cheeks slightly pink.

“Well what would you have done, then?”

Chloe leaned close to her, placing her hands on Nadine’s knees. The action caused the other woman to slightly pull back, but she listened on.

“If it were me? I’d be honest.”

Nadine raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

“Honest?”

“You don’t want Sam, yet you don’t want anyone else to have him either.”

“I don’t-”

“That just isn’t fair, darling.” Chloe’s soothing, deep voice hit her ears like a beating drum, and she looked up and felt guilty immediately.

“Instead of acting like a jealous teenager, why don’t you take the time to think and be a little honest with yourself, and with Sam?” Chloe suggested, rubbing her hands over Nadine’s knees, and Nadine lowered her hands down to place her palms on the back of Chloe’s hands in another gesture of comfort.

“Alright.”

Chloe leaned back a little, raising a thick, dark eyebrow, a question clearly evident on her face, and in her eyes.

“Do you like Sam?” She asked, and it caused Nadine to pull her hands away and rest against her stomach.

“No!”

Chloe laughed, “Then why did you beat that woman up for?”

Nadine reached out a hand and slammed it over Chloe’s lips, effectively silencing her before she drew attention to them.

“Would you pipe it down, Frazer?!”

She looked around, making sure there wasn’t anyone else close by before she continued.

“I just didn’t want someone like,” she paused and felt disgust flow through her stomach, and she shivered, “… _that thing_ to take advantage of Sam!”

Chloe shoved Nadine’s hand away from her mouth and took a small breath.

“Advantage?!?”

Nadine nodded.

Chloe placed a finger against her lips and giggled, “Since when is consensual sex considered taking advantage of someone?”

Nadine nearly doubled over in disgust and embarrassment. She hated the way Chloe spoke, sometimes, as it was absolutely crude and blunt, which was probably a good thing…

“Frazer! I mean she could have taken money from him, or worse, found out about him and the work he does!”

Chloe rolled her eyes and swung her feet along the floor.

“You’re so funny, Nadine.”

“I mean it!”

“Sam isn’t that type to just blurt things out, you know.”

Nadine sighed, “So I’ve heard.”

“And anyway, you need to really keep things cool before you jump to your own fanciful conclusions!” Chloe continued, looking back to see Cutter shyly waving at her. He had sat himself beside Sam at the small circular table far away at the other end of the club.

Nadine pointed at Cutter, “So what about him, then?”

“Hmm?” Chloe blushed as Cutter winked at her.

“How honest were you with him?” Nadine asked, genuinely curious.

Chloe bit her lip and sighed.

“It’s still a work in progress.”

With another small pat on Nadine’s knees, she got up, and walked to join her lover at the small table in the back of the club, leaving Nadine alone once more at the bar, thinking to herself about the events of the night.

From the back of the club, a concerned pair of eyes peered on at her, and she felt she was being watched, so she tilted her neck up slightly to meet Sam’s eyes.

He offered her a weak smile, and she didn’t return it as she completely turned around to offer him her back to stare at.

The men’s bathroom door suddenly opened, and a few feet away from her, Sully began walking out of the doorway of the bathroom.

His hair was messy, and his face was covered in lipstick.

He tumbled down onto the stool beside her, and he smirked at her, appearing tired, but very happy.

Nadine couldn’t help but feel happiness leak into her system, Sully’s smile and mood contagious enough to affect her.

“What a night, eh?” He laughed, pulling at his loose tie and dropping it to his lap, then picking it up and wrapping it around his hands.

“Yeah, you could say that.” Nadine agreed, picking up on his hints and gestures as he sighed and leaned his neck back, closing his eyes as he rested for the moment.

“We better get back to the cabin, we’ve got a lot to do tomorrow.”

Nadine pursed her lips in surprise, “Oh?”

He opened his eyes, though his head was still tilted back.

“Yep! Tomorrow, we’re all going to trace the container, and we’ll have it in our hands by the end of the day!”

Nadine smiled, feeling a lot better and knowing this could be accomplished given the tangible goal and proof they’ve had so far. She felt that they were on a good lead, and a solid one, for once.

Sully finally sat straight and drummed his fingers on the counter.

“But I know we have one problem…”

Nadine felt her stomach drop.

“What now?”

Sully snickered evilly, “Who’s gonna be the one to cut their fun short?” He gestured with his thumb behind him, and Nadine followed, nodding and smirking in return.

“Let’s draw straws…”

He threw the tie on the countertop.

“You bet.”


	13. Death Treasure

**Chapter 13**

To say that Victor Sullivan’s coughing had ceased would be nothing short of a lie. Nadine hadn’t fallen asleep the night they returned from their outing; she’d stayed awake all night listening to Victor’s harsh coughing, wondering when they would die down. She’d thought many times of waking him up to help him with anything, but then he’d wheeze and breathe with difficulty, followed by movements of tossing and turning in his bed.

Nadine felt utterly hopeless and helpless as they all woke up and gathered what they needed for the trip, and she kept her concerns and fears to herself, as today was the day they would obtain the container, and Nadine knew Sully wouldn’t let them return unless the container was in their possession.

They’d set off before dawn, the air still cool and crisp as it greeted them once they’d opened the doors and taken the first few steps in the woods surrounding the cabin. They cautiously moved through the forest, knowing where they had to go as they followed the coordinates left behind.

Nadine felt her worries grow as Sam and Cutter chattered on among themselves, slightly ahead of the group and walking faster with each step. She wanted to scream at them to slow down so Sullivan could keep up, but she knew they wouldn’t listen to her. The excitement of obtaining the container and the disc were all too much for Cutter and Sam, and they began to bounce around like children as they raced ahead.

Nadine felt Sully’s steps slow down, and she mimicked his pace immediately without a second thought. The least she could do was tread carefully by his side, giving him side-glances and worried gazes as she watched him cover his mouth with the back of his hand and push back another cough.

Ahead of them was an already worn-out Chloe, who held the compass and the drawn-out map/sketch of their directions, and she would every once in a while bark out that they were heading slightly off trail, and it helped reign the boys back in, but then they’d become distracted soon and wander off.

Chloe sighed after half an hour and turned to align herself with Sully and Nadine. She grabbed a water bottle attached to her bag, and offered it to Sully first, before taking a long sip.

She shrugged off her light brown bag and adjusted her jacket, trying to get more comfortable as the wind blew about slightly. It was supposed to rain, apparently, though the worst it had gotten so far was no more than a light drizzle.

The humidity and rainwater caused everyone’s hair to frizzle slightly, and Chloe’s stuck out in strange wire-like angles as she walked along-side Nadine and Sully.

Sully bit back another cough as Nadine held a protective hand around his shoulders.

“God damn it, aging really is a shitter.” He moved his hand to swat a dragonfly as it passed by and landed on a tree branch above their heads as they moved past a similar clearing Sam and Nadine had a few days prior.

The entire forest was deadly still and silent, and while it calmed Nadine’s demeanor greatly, she couldn’t help but sense a strange feeling of foreboding doom pending. Not exactly a feeling that they were walking into a trap, but more like they were being watched? Followed? She couldn’t piece it together, as she was distracted with an obviously ill Victor Sullivan and a worried Chloe Frazer by her side.

Half of Nadine’s attention was divided, but she was able to maneuver Sully around carefully, and they soon happened upon large and broken piles of boulders, and she gently helped Sully sit on one of them, and Chloe offered him a long sip of her water, again.

After taking more than he could handle or want, he shoved her hand away as she tried pressing the bottle to his lips eagerly.

“Would you cut it out? I’m not dying!” As if on cue, he bent forward, cradling his body with his arms wrapped tightly around himself, and he coughed roughly more than ten times in a row.

“Oh God, Sam! Charlie!” Chloe turned and called after the rest of the team loudly, and Nadine gently pet Sully’s back and shoulders, hoping and wishing the coughing would soon die down.

Sully straightened, his face turning slightly red from the force of the coughing, and he waved his hands at her.

“I’m fine, kid, I’m fine! Stop making such a racket!”

Chloe glared volumes at him, “I’m only worried about you, Sullivan!”

He mirrored her glare, standing up and straightening himself out, as if he were trying to prove a point to her.

“I don’t need you to worry about me; worry about yourself.” He brushed along past her, coughing slightly, though it was less violent than the fit he’d just had seconds prior.

Chloe and Nadine exchanged worried glances, but followed, never taking their eyes off him as they soon caught up with Sam and Cutter, who stood on a hill, facing the mouth of a giant, old cavern down below.

Sam looked on suspiciously at Chloe and Nadine, then over at Sully.

“I heard someone calling me…”

“Forget it, we just wanted to ask you and Charlie to slow the hell down.” Chloe growled out her response, clearly irritated, and she looked at the dark, haunting cavern as it loomed over them slightly down the hill.

 “Let’s head towards it and stop wasting time.” Chloe ran ahead, leaving no room or time for answers, and within a few moments, they’d reached the large entrance of the cavern.

The wind had definitely picked up a bit, though the light and atmosphere from the sun was still bright and over-all welcoming.

Chloe stopped at the cavern’s gloomy entrance first, looking down to check her coordinates. Cutter rested a large hand over one of her shoulders as she faced the cavern.

“Look, we’re on the right path!” He pointed up at the top of the entrance, where a large wooden plank had been messily hammered in with old, rusted nails, and painted in strange black ink, was the same symbol they’d found at the camp and cabins spread around.

Cutter reached up and ran a hand over the ink, and then brought his hands to his face and took a sniff. His recoiled and coughed, his face upturned in disgust.

“It’s tar.”

“Tar?” Nadine repeated, looking inside the dark cavern.

Sam unzipped a bag and began handing out flashlights to everyone.

“Good thing we came prepared.” He mumbled and turned his on, the light shining and beaming straight into Cutter’s eyes.

He growled and turned away, “Bastard!”

Sam snickered while Chloe sighed.

“Can we get a move on, then? I’d like to be out of here before nightfall!” Sensing the growing fear in her voice, Nadine didn’t hesitate any longer, and she grabbed Sully’s arm in her hands tightly, and she moved forward with him by her side.

Sam trailed behind, whispering to their backs, “Hey hey, we’re not spelunking, so just…let’s be careful…”

Nadine nodded, carefully guiding her light straight ahead, every so often checking the rocky floors, and gazing around at the sediments and flowing, trickling water from the ceilings and walls.

“Wish I brought a helmet.” Sully mumbled as droplets of water dripped and fell onto his head and his nose when he looked up.

Nadine smirked, but kept her pace steady so he could keep up.

The inside of the cavern smelled slightly acidic, but it didn’t bother Nadine. She hoped Victor was having a better time breathing, and he seemed to be as they walked past old and rather magnificent formations, some from calcium carbonate, others strange flowstones, stalactites, stalagmites resembling teeth more than anything, and other rows of old columns.

The deeper they got in, the more Cutter began to mumble and talk to himself.

Nadine frowned and turned to gape at him, but Sully chuckled, “He’s claustrophobic.”

Nadine rolled her eyes and shook her head as they let Chloe step up and guide them deeper in the cavern.

“Getting bloody damn tired of seeing nothing but speleothems! Seems like it’s been this way for hours on end!” Cutter complained, almost sounding like a brat, rather than a grown man.

“We have one more area to go past, then we should arrive at the bunkers…”

“Bunkers?” Sully interrupted Chloe, ducking as they reached into a new, large clearing with a collapse, as if intentionally made, or man-made. A small moat-like area greeted them, and Sam stepped in it first, while they all waited for him at the edge.

They watched as he walked and waded through, the water barely going past his kneecaps.

“We can make it.”

He ushered them forward, and Chloe spoke softly to Sully as she and Nadine helped him cross to the other side of the collapsed clearing.

“Apparently many German soldiers once sought refuge and hid in here, setting up communication and supposed spy-activities during World War Two.”

“Couldn’t think of any better place.” Sully seemed to shrink as they walked through the cold water and climbed up through the other side, the water trickling and rippling behind them, making horrific shapes and shadows on the walls as they pressed on.

“In a bunker rests an old vault, no doubt many years unopened, untouched, and the Germans hid the container within the vault; though they were careful to seal and protect it with a combination code.”

Chloe pushed back her hair as she explained.

“A combination? And let me guess, we don’t exactly have it!” Sully growled under his breath, which proved to be a bad idea, and he soon resumed his coughing fits.

The team stopped, and this time, Cutter and Sam were at his side, looking worried and asking a million questions per minute.

The more they asked, the more Sully seemed to grow irritated. He slapped their hands away and puffed out his chest, slamming against them hard in an attempt to push them away and he tried to keep moving forward past them.

“I don’t know about you knuckleheads, but I ain’t stopping now! Let’s get what we came for, so all this won’t have been a waste!” He lowered his head and grabbed his flashlight, looking ahead at the rest of the path they had to go on before they reached the vault.

Sully looked at each concerned face, “At least do it for my sake…” His eyes held a painful plea, the old grey depths and old shine momentarily gone, and small dark circles instead forming in the bags under his eyes. He looked more tired than ever, and the guilt of it kicked Nadine hard in the head.

She sighed, “He’s right; let’s just finish this, ja?”

Sam argued, “But we can’t let-”

One look from Nadine was all it took to get him to hold that sentence and thought back, and he lit up the pathway for them with his flashlight.

“After you.”

They all were careful to watch Sully, but also climb through a man-made staircase which lead to another man-made bridge, the wooden planks creaking and groaning as they made their way from one end of the cavern to the other.

Cutter held tightly to the railings of the bridge, closing his eyes and mumbling over and over to himself in a slightly high-pitched voice.

Chloe immediately grabbed onto his hands, and she guided him along the bridge, while Sam and Nadine each held onto Sully’s arms, helping him take his time, the bridge moaning and groaning under their weight.

“Please let me through, mate!” Cutter suddenly broke out, and he tore through ahead of them, shoving past Sam, with Chloe closely behind him.

“Charlie!”

He made it to the other edge, and hid behind a large column, peeking around it and gazing at them like a child who had gotten into trouble.

Though the bridge groaned and shook, they remained calm, stood still, and within minutes, the bridge ceased swaying and making noises.

They all took a deep breath in relief, and carefully made the rest of the trip safely to the other side.

Chloe grabbed Cutter’s ears in her fingers, pinching and pulling him out from his hiding spot.

“You could’ve gotten us all killed!”

He winced and tried to pry her fingers away from his reddening flesh, but it was no use.

“Please, love! I didn’t mean it!”

“You big baby!” She frowned and let him go, shaking her head and glaring at him.

Sam snickered, and then turned to Sully as they moved onward.

“So, about that combination…”

Nadine was the first to speak, “I did my own research, and it appears that one of the most infamous-yet-unknown to history-spies working against Adolf Hitler was his own inside-man, known as Johann Vogel.”

Sam shook his head, “Yeah, never heard of him.”

Nadine carried on, ignoring his interruption. “Vogel set up base here, where he gathered information on Hitler and passed it on to the USA for years until he was caught. He led a team of twenty-seven men, all of whom were gunned down after they’d been dragged outside the cavern forcefully.”

They’d reached a long, thin, drawn-out hallway-like section, where the dirt and walls had been pushed back and cleared, and old torches stood, lighting the path. At the end of the hall/tunnel, stood a thick, heavy dark brown door, tightly shut before them.

“The vault is on the other side of this door, and I am getting so bloody tired of these damn tight tunnels, mate.”

Cutter was the first to turn himself sideways, place his hands on the walls, and squirm and squeeze himself through, moving one-step-at-a-time and very slowly forward.

They all followed in a single-file line, stopping once they’d reached the door.

“Locked?” Cutter asked, trying the handle, and Nadine reached up with a booted leg, and kicked the door down in one steady, strong kick.

“Warn a guy first!” Cutter growled, the dust covering his leather jacket and then settling down as Sully coughed.

Nadine ignored him, and they all soon moved inside the now-open room.

It was dark, and very dusty inside, though their flashlights proved a little helpful as they walked and looked about for the vault. Old typewriters and phones sat on desks collecting dust, some of them hanging off their receivers, and others seemingly having been smashed to bits.

Broken glass and plates were scattered on the floor, and old couches and sofas were upturned, some set on fire, and others torn apart.

Upon first glance, the vault wasn’t in this room at all, but Nadine wasn’t deterred. She knew that there was more to this room than a bunch of tables, chairs, desks, and old typewriters and machines.

She felt along the walls, feeling bits of wood cutting into her skin, but she ignored them as she tapped and knocked along the walls with her knuckles.

Sam watched her, scratching the back of his head.

“Umm, Nadine? What’re you doing?”

“Shh.”

“Nadine, the vault’s not here…”

“SHH!”

She resumed knocking and she moved a few large paintings off the walls and tried again, and this time when she knocked, she heard a hollow sound echoing behind the wall.

They all held their breath in shock, and Nadine turned and pointed at the spot on the wall.

“There.”

Sam raised an eyebrow, his jaw dropping slightly as he gazed at Nadine, rather than the spot on the wall she’d located.

“How did you-”

“Sam, give me that axe!” Nadine’s light fell on an old, rusted axe, the handle half-snapped off, but the blade still sharp and useable, no doubt.

Without questioning it, he bent down and handed the weapon to her, and they all watched as Nadine hacked away at the wall with all her strength, and the wall soon caved in and broke down.

Their lights illuminated dust and particles falling from the walls and ceilings as she kicked in the boards and planks of the wall, and they eagerly and excitedly gazed in the new secret area, practically climbing over each other in the process.

Chloe was the first to step past them and over the broken bits of wood and dirt, and she didn’t wait for them to follow her; the vault sat facing them after a few steps inside the old, dark hidden room.

It was untouched and looked newer than anything they’d seen so far; the dial gleaming in their light, and dust surrounding the bottom of the vault, but not resting on top of it.

Cutter whistled in shock, and Sam bent down and prodded the combination.

“Jesus Christ…”

Nadine smiled, “Ja.”

“So the container’s really in there?” Sam asked, his fingers inches away from turning the dial.

Nadine nodded, “We’ll find out soon enough.”

Without another word, Sam turned the dial experimentally, and the moment he did, a loud BEEP echoed in the small room around them.

They all gasped and stood alert, the beeping continuing to sound, and it quickened in pace.

“What’s that noise?” Cutter asked, looking around in confusion, and the beeping grew louder, as if a counter was on…

Nadine was the first to spot a red glow from the side of the vault.

She knelt down and peered to the side, pulling back with her a small device attached to the vault by a thick heavy chain, and many, many wires attached to the device as it emitted the red light and beeped on.

“It’s a bloody explosive!”

Cutter pointed at the wires and the rest of the team pieced it together, and panic soon rose.

“Sam! What did you touch!?!?” Nadine screamed at him, moving her hands away from the bomb, as if it would go off any second.

“I just touched the stupid dial! I didn’t put in any god damn number!” Sam screamed back his response, fear clear and pure in his eyes as he backed away and nearly tripped over Chloe.

“Who told you to touch it?!?” Chloe shrieked as she moved away from the hidden area and bit her lip in fear and panic.

“I DIDN’T MEAN TO!” Sam yelled back, and suddenly Nadine slammed her hand against the wall of the bunker.

“EVERYONE STOP! This isn’t the time to argue and fight! This damn thing is going to go off, and we MUST set the right combination else we’re all going to be blown to death!”

She watched as they all grew silent, though the panic and frightened expressions they wore didn’t edge away, but Nadine kept herself calm anyway. If one person remained in control, then they would at least have a sliver of a chance to get out of this in one piece.

“What’s the combination?” Chloe asked, wringing her hands and she moved to squat by Nadine, and she looked at the dial as sweat began to form on her forehead.

Sully and Cutter held their flashlights over the combination to light the way as Nadine and Chloe thought and looked at each other quickly.

“Try Vogel’s birthday!” Sam’s voice suddenly called out, and they nodded.

“He was their leader, after all, and he was one of the smartest men to lead the investigations,” she remembered everything she’d read about the man, and she input his date of birth; 1891, “…he went undetected for years, accruing a mass of followers who supported him and honored his actions!” Her fingers shook, and she gasped when they all heard the beeping growing louder, and the red light began flashing faster.

“Try the whole date!” Chloe added, and they all watched as Nadine put in the day, month, and then the year, and nothing changed.

Sam threw his hands up and cradled his head, “Why’s it still beeping for?”

Nadine resisted the urge to throw a chair at him, “Because it’s wrong, obviously!”

“How’s it wrong?!”

She ignored his whining, and then thought of something new altogether.

“He had a wife!”

Sully and Chloe gaped at her, as if they hadn’t heard her the first time.

“Vogel was married!” Nadine continued, and then began to slowly put in the numbers one-by-one in order.

“Anna Hiegel; an art teacher Vogel met when he was on vacation right before he turned twenty-two! They met and married within a week of knowing each other, and she remained at his side, teaching and helping young children and students while the war raged on! She hid so many children in their attic and in their basement, and she was the reason why so many Jewish children didn’t end up dead in a concentration camp…” she finally turned and faced them, ready to key in the last number.

“She was born in 1889 and died in 1943…she was the love of his life, and he died soon after her.”

The dial clicked, and the light turned green a second after. The beeping died away, and the room fell silent once again.

Sully was the first to emit a small laugh of relief.

“I can’t-I can’t believe it, kid! You did it!”

Sam raised his head from his crouched position behind them, and Cutter looked down at the door of the vault, eyeing it warily, as if something else was going to jump out and surprise them.

“You sure it’s safe?” He pointed at the door of the vault, and slowly knelt down to look at it in greater depth and study.

Nadine raised a hand and pressed it against his chest, and then used her free one to slowly pry open the door.

The vault’s door gave a loud squeak, and it caused Cutter to leap back a bit in fear. Nadine was unable to keep her excitement and pride down when she saw him peer inside, and his eyes lit up with joy.

“It’s here.”

“~~~~~~~~”

Nadine had let Sully carry the container as they walked back through the woods, heading for their cabin and a good night’s rest. She watched as he cradled it to his chest, looking down at it happily, his eyes gleaming as he shook his head and chuckled.

Chloe wrapped an arm around him, helping him move over branches and foliage, while Cutter created the path back for them slightly ahead, his knife cutting away at thick, long leaves and branches that would get in their way and prove to be a threat.

The container resembled a box, or a puzzle box; though it was a teal color and seemed hollow and empty. It was rather large and deep, which would make it fit for the last piece of their treasure. They’d passed it around, taking moments to study it, before the wind picked up and howled in warning at them, and they picked up the pace, walking back faster than they’d arrived.

Their murmurs and hushed whispers seemed to comfort them after the events of the day, and the quiet ambiance of the woods helped soothe the tension that had ebbed away into the early evening and setting sun.

Nadine smiled to herself, feeling a glimmer of hope every time she heard Sully laugh or speak softly to Chloe, taking his time to point out markings on the container and explaining the history and meaning behind them to her while she looked on in awe.

“How did you know the combination had something to do with his wife?”

Nadine looked up from her musings to see Sam walking beside her, his hands deeply in the pockets of his blue muddy and wet jeans, his brown autumn coat half-open and being further blown back by the wind.

She offered him a small shrug, looking down at her feet.

“History.”

He wasn’t buying it, and he made a show of it, frowning and shaking his head back and forth, his hair blowing wildly in the wind.

“Come on…”

Nadine hummed to herself, thinking about her words before they were spoken, “Well, I looked through some old photographs of Vogel, originally, and I saw her. Every photo that was taken of him, she was there by his side, so naturally, I began to wonder who she was.”

She felt her feet growing heavy, which was a signal she was getting tired, but she ignored it and resumed walking at a moderate pace, still able to hear and see Chloe and Sully ahead.

“They were never apart, and although she was known to his friends and colleagues, the media knew little of them. They didn’t want a famous life,” she continued, feeling her hair slide down over her shoulders and over her neck, and she shivered, “…he did whatever he could to keep her happy, and she was the one who encouraged him to turn against Hitler and his evil acts.”

“So she changed a lot of his ways?”

“You could say that. It’s just how it is…when you are with someone for so long, they shape you…they almost chisel away at your personality, and you become something they love and appreciate, because you love and appreciate them…”

Sam smirked, “Why do I suddenly want to listen to the song: _When a Man Loves a Woman_?”

Nadine pretended she wasn’t amused by that, and she shrugged again.

As they moved along the forest, Nadine suddenly noted that the animals and all movement within the forest had suddenly come to a dead halt. It was unusual, as it wasn’t even nightfall, and the forest seemed so…silent. Nadine felt goosebumps on her skin beginning to form, and it wasn’t due to being cold; she felt they were being watched.

She looked around the trees and bushes, trying to track down any sign of movement, but the forest was just too…quiet. It all felt so wrong, and Nadine began walking faster as a result.

Suddenly, she came all too close to Chloe’s back, and she nearly walked into the other woman quickly.

“Chloe! Wha-”

Chloe turned and eyed them with a frightened expression painted on her face.

“We haven’t heard from Charlie…we can’t even see him anymore!”

Nadine looked around, “I’m sure he’s here somewhere, probably got too excited and ran off a bit farther down-”

Like a knife slicing through butter, the piercing cry of Cutter’s screams came only a few feet ahead of them.

Chloe was the first to fly through the forest, throwing her bag on the ground and zipping through the trees.

“Charlie!”

Nadine and Sam followed her voice, hoping Sully would catch up, or at least wait, and a loud shotgun blast soon blared through the silent air of the forest.

Nadine first eyed Cutter, lying on the forest floor, cradling the back of his head. His eyes were clenched shut tightly, and he groaned in pain as he stood up slowly, only to be kicked back down by a black combat-booted foot.

Sully eventually caught up to the group, and Sam protectively held a strong arm across his chest to keep him from running to Cutter’s aid.

Chloe too stood back, holding her hands up in surrender as a small group of armed men wearing black trench coats stood before them, aiming their weapons at the team, while another pointed his gun at the back of Cutter’s neck.

“Watch it, mate, if you didn’t have that gun, I’d have kicked your arse already!” He growled, and he was given another swift kick to the ribs this time.

“Bastard!” Chloe hissed, and murder was written in her eyes, as a tear trickled down her cheek as she watched another man kick Cutter in the jaw.

“STOP IT!” Nadine cried in anger, feeling all sense of pride and hope completely gone.

“Who are you and what do you want from us?!” Nadine cried, and she tried meeting the eyes of the men, but they all seemed so cold, vacant, and they were unresponsive to her.

Soft footsteps came from behind the men, followed by a slim, pale hand sliding over the shoulder's of one burly man. Eyes still trained on the group, he slowly moved to the side to make room for another body.

Nadine immediately felt her blood beginning to boil in her veins.

“Frau Lina.”

The tall, thin woman stood a few feet away from Cutter, her bandaged hand hanging to the side, and a pistol aimed at Cutter’s head in another.

She wore heavy makeup as she had in the party when Nadine first stumbled into her, and she looked no less deadly. She wore a black bullet proof vest, and dark jeans. Her boots matched those of the men she was with, and from the look of them, they had some blood on them…

She took a step towards Nadine, the gun this time raising to point at Nadine, though Nadine didn’t flinch or show a reaction.

“I have to thank you personally, Miss Ross, for all your hard efforts taken to clear the way for me.”

She gestured with a sarcastic bow and giggled menacingly.

“I couldn’t have done half of this on my own, and I thank you for doing the dirty work.”

Nadine should have known better; she knew she was being watched the day she and Chloe went to the markets, and she knew they weren’t the only ones after the Nebra Sky Disc…

Frau Lina bent down on one knee, close to Cutter, and she stroked his face with the butt of the pistol. He recoiled and gave her the dirtiest look he could muster, though it didn’t have any effect on her.

She smirked at him as if she had no other care in the world, her eyes lazy, her lips thin, a smile upon them…

“Get your hands off me, you psychotic bitch.” Cutter spat at her boots, and she sighed, dropping the hand holding the gun at her side.

“Is that any way to talk to a woman?”

Without further hesitation, she punched Cutter across the face with her bandaged hand.

“DON’T TOUCH HIM!” Chloe’s cries did nothing to stop her, and she slapped Cutter next with the same hand.

Nadine did the only thing she could do in the moment while Frau Lina was distracted with beating up Cutter; she slowly reached back into the back of her pants with one hand and felt for her gun.

Sam walked up close to Frau Lina, holding his hands up and eyeing her wearily, “Look, please let him go, we’re not even armed!”

Frau Lina began stroking Cutter’s cheek with her fingers, her nails lightly scratching his skin, causing him to blink rapidly and wince as he tried moving back away from her.

“Oh I will let you all go once you give me what I want.” She purred as she tapped Cutter’s nose with her index finger.

Sully growled suddenly, “You can have the damn thing, just get your distance hands off him, for God’s sake!”

Nadine looked back at Sully, feeling so broken and upset.

“But we…the disc…”

“Screw the damn disc! It isn’t worth his life!” Sully walked past Sam, his hands holding the container up to Frau Lina, but he was pushed back by one of her men, who raised and pointed his gun at Sully.

Chloe gasped and pulled Sully back by his sleeves.

“Stop pointing that at him!”

Frau Lina stood to her feet, pointing at the container. “Approach, but slowly, and put it on the ground and back away!”

“Don’t do it, Sully, she’ll just-”

Cutter’s words were interrupted by a blow to the head from her gun, and he fell forward on his hands, coughing and crying out in pain.

Sully bit back a hiss of anger, and began approaching slowly, his hands lowering the container towards the ground as he took steps closer and closer to Frau Lina. Within seconds, he’d closed the distance.

Frau Lina stared on coldly, her expression difficult to read, yet easy to fear. She watched every move Sully made, and she gestured for him to move back with her gun.

He obeyed, moving back to stand next to Nadine.

“Now let him go!”

Frau Lina smiled an odd smile; it covered her entire face, practically, and was clearly forced and exaggerated. Nadine knew it was a smile that promised only pain and misery to follow, and she felt her gun in her hands now.

“Thought you’d never ask.”

They watched as Frau Lina aimed the gun at Cutter, and this time was getting ready to pull the trigger.

Nadine leapt to her feet, withdrawing her gun as she knew she only had a short amount of time to act before Cutter was dead. She aimed her shot quickly at Frau Lina, and the woman almost seemed to know enough about Nadine to be able to read the move, for she grabbed one of her men close to her and held him up against her as a human shield. The bullet went through his chest, and he fell to his knees.

“SHOOT THEM!”

Bullets rained down upon them, and everyone sprang to action. Chloe ran to pull Sully out of the way, pushing him down behind a tree onto the ground, effectively hiding them both in the tall, thick grass and leaves, while Sam ran and fought to pull a weapon out of one of Frau Lina’s men’s arms.

Sam carefully avoided the nozzle of the gun, and shots were fired repeatedly into the ground, but he avoided them and wrestled for the gun. He effectively wrung it out of the man’s hands, and he shot him in the legs, making him finally fall.

Sam dove ahead in the madness to grab Cutter, and he pulled him to his feet, and they crawled along the forest floor.

Together, they took down a few more men, with Cutter strangling them with his strong, thick arms, while Sam shot down a few more. He rolled behind logs and trees, while Nadine ran ahead, trying to make a clear aim for Frau Lina.

Through the setting sun and the gunfire and smoke, Nadine was able to track her movements down; she was making a grab for the container, which still rested on the floor where Sully had placed it as instructed.

Right before her black painted fingernails could snatch it away, Nadine rolled forward on the ground, and slammed into Frau Lina, quickly shoving the container away in the process.

She knocked the woman onto her back and punched her once in the face before she felt a kick delivered to the back of her head.

Frau Lina raised her leg and slammed it repeatedly against the back of Nadine’s skull before Nadine fell and rolled away in pain.

She barely had time to cradle her head and nurse it, when she heard and saw Frau Lina grabbing her gun, which was not too far away from her.

Nadine dove forward again and grabbed the gun, punching away at Frau Lina’s ribs as hard as she could.

The woman hissed and raised her knee to slam it into Nadine’s abdomen, and it caused Nadine to buckle over in pain, gasping for air.

“You’ve interfered with my operation for the last time!” She felt the gun press against her temple, and then slide down under her chin, and a jerking motion upward pushed her chin up to look into Frau Lina’s eyes.

The look Frau Lina gave her made her energy drain away, as Nadine knew they’d lost. It was all over. Frau Lina had too many men, too much power, too much training, too much ambition…Nadine had nothing anymore.

Before the trigger was pulled, she heard Frau Lina screaming for her men to stop, to put it down, not to do it.

Nadine felt the rest of it spinning out of control, her vision blurry, and she was unable to fully comprehend what had happened.

She looked up to see one of Frau Lina’s men with a bloodied, broken nose holding up a grenade, and he’d already pulled off the pin. She looked up to read Frau Lina’s lips, and she had shouted something like: PUT IT DOWN, DON’T DO IT!

And then before she knew it, the grenade was flying through the air, and Frau Lina raised her gun, and shot her own man multiple times in the chest.

Sam also had leapt up, and was making his way towards her, his motions sped up, yet slowed down…Nadine could only helplessly watch as Sully stood from his hiding spot, calling out frantically as he waved his arms, and Cutter was too busy fighting and gunning down more men, but he looked up and screamed too.

Sam’s arms were around Nadine in an instant, and Frau Lina turned to aim her gun at Nadine again, and this time, she pulled the trigger.

The grenade went off as it hit the ground a few meters away from Sam and Nadine.

The impact of the explosion made the ground beneath them give way, and soon, Nadine and Sam fell deep into the Earth, down a large hole the explosion made.

Nadine only saw red and black behind her closed eyes.


	14. Underground

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ello everyone!
> 
> I apologize for not updating for a while; I was terribly sick and I was able to try to send out more job applications, which thankfully helped me gain 3 interviews, but I have no word on the status of them yet :/ 
> 
> I also apologize if this chapter is a lot shorter than the ones I typically post, but this is intended to be a 2 or maybe 3 part section and a long segment of very important plot I am developing, so I figured it'd be better to break it off into 2-3 parts instead of writing over 10k words lol 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy :D

**Chapter 14**

 

The first sound that met Nadine’s ears was the sound of dripping, running water. She heard it before she opened her eyes, and that seemed like a painful task. She managed, blinking rapidly, and immediately wincing in the dim, dark underground beneath the earth she and Sam had caved down into roughly.  
  
Mud met her eyes, and more mud, and a lot of dark puddles. The air was stale and moldy, but also earthy and fresh. It had probably rained, and she was able to clearly confirm this, as the sky above was just barely visible through mounds of cold dirt and mud, barely supported by a few broken, rotted branches and leaves.

Nadine stood to her feet, her thighs and legs quivering and threatening to send her crumbling down once again, and she felt her eyes burn as she looked up and some more mud and dirt fell into them.

She hissed and wiped her eyes, dragging herself with all her energy and strength close to the branches and sticks above, and wondered if they would budge and give way so she could look for Sam, and pull themselves out of the quagmire.

She reached out a long, muddied hand, and felt a splinter going deep under her skin as she felt her way in the dark along a dark, thick, heavy log above her head. She grit her teeth more so in pain, and tried moving the heavy log aside, but after a few minutes, it didn’t even move. She let out a warm huff of air and tried making it move to the side again, but it was there to stay.

A voice behind her suddenly spoke up.

“I tried that an hour ago myself, it seems like the mud has almost cemented it there in place.”

Nadine turned and squinted, and by the small bits of light seeping in through the grass, leaves, and wooden planks above them, she was almost able to make out Sam Drake’s face.

He looked as worn out as she did; he had dark circles under his eyes, and quite the collection of cuts and bruises on his cheeks and forehead as he moved closer to her and winced in pain.

“Shit…”

He fell to the side, gripping his left shoulder, and Nadine crouched down, carefully extending a hand and pushing his hand aside from covering what was a small gunshot wound and bullet deeply embedded in his shoulder.

She could see plenty of mud covering Sam’s clothing as well, but she knew the darker areas of his neck and shoulders were blood. 

She examined the wound a few moments longer while he waited, looking at the ground beneath their feet in slight apprehension, as if it would cave in once more and swallow them whole. 

Nadine finally met his eyes.

“Did any of the bullets manage to miss you?” She asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes and moving aside, mentally thankful that she hadn’t be shot and put in Sam’s current predicament.

He didn’t seem too impressed or amused, and he frowned, his wet and dirty hair hanging slightly looser and looking rather scruffy…more so than usual.

He rubbed the back of his neck, sighing in pain.

Nadine raised an eyebrow, already judging and making her own conclusions.

“What? Did you get a good knock in the head on your way down, too?”

She knew she should have stopped it right then and there; they were both beyond exhausted, hurt, and probably infected with tons of bacteria due to their open wounds being exposed to the dirt and mud, but Nadine couldn’t stop or control herself.

Sam didn’t respond, and this seemed to infuriate her further.

“Well I hope you did get hit on the head,” she hissed softly but with venom as she twisted and dug her heels into a soft mound of mud close to her, wishing instead it was Frau Lina’s face she was smearing and erasing away into the dirt.

She continued, feeling her anger growing by the second, “…perhaps this way, you’ll finally have some sense in that empty he-”

“Do you seriously feel this is helping any?” He interrupted with a deep, low growl.

This was a tone of voice that Nadine had never heard from him before, and it stopped her in her tracks. She immediately fell silent, looking away at a dark, muddy wall instead, crossing her arms over her chest. She knew she looked like a bratty child, but she didn’t care. She was soaked to the bone, cold, tired, and in a lot of pain; bullocks to what he thought of her now.

“This whole mess is your fault you know.” She said to the wall rather than to him, though the implication was there.

He snorted.

“Well I’ll keep that in mind next time I’m diving forward and taking a bullet for you.”

They refused to meet each other’s eyes, but it was Nadine who finally moved over to him and grabbed his hand and looped it over her shoulder and behind her neck as she tugged him to his feet.

“Come on then, we can’t just sit here in the dirt and muddy water bickering.”

She felt Sam resisting for maybe two seconds before he rested most of his weight on her and groaned once he was on both his feet and upright. 

He chuckled, “Well then why don’t you just lead the way to your lofty, expensive rooms then?” 

She glared at him, “Would you rather I leave you here with this open wound to fester and become more infected, then?”

He didn’t say a word, and she huffed at him as they made their way out of the small muddy mountain and puddles they’d been lying in.

“No! Go left!” Sam suddenly wheezed out painfully, turning over to Nadine’s left when she had made a few steps to the right.

“Why?”

He groaned and breathed deeply for a few moments, and just when Nadine feared he would either pass out, or he hadn’t heard her due to his immense levels of pain, he spoke.

“I managed to map out an underground system and a passageway down here that many soldiers used for escape when they were raided, and before we got blasted, we were right a few yards away from the main entrance anyway.”

“The cavern.” Nadine confirmed, recalling the old bunkers.

Of course there would be underground hideouts and passages.

She began walking in the direction he’d ordered her in.

“Let’s just hope for your sake those passageways aren’t caved in as well by the mud and water.”

Sam shook his head and closed his tired eyes, “Doubt it; if Lina actually had some brains in her head, she’d have sent her men down here instead of trailing and hiding behind our asses.”

Nadine snickered, “What?”

“These passageways lead to the bunkers regardless, and she’d have found what she was looking for.” 

“Ja, but where else would she get her fun, then? She needed something to blow up.”

“Someone.”

Nadine felt the cold mud creeping up her legs, seeping into her already aching and bruised flesh. She shivered as they made their way down a long hallway, and she reached out and pressed a hand on the cold earthy walls of the underground passageway, using it to guide and lead them.

“I hope we don’t trip and fall in the dark.” She spoke softly when she was tired of the silence around them.

Sam groaned again, “Well this time, it’d be your bumble; not mine.”

Nadine gasped in mock fear and concern.

“You’re far clumsier than I am.”

Sam looked at her, and she could tell due to the shiny glint in his eyes that he was amused and in a joking mood, no matter his pain and their previous argument.

“Hey, if I go down, I’m taking you with me!” He laughed softly, his teeth gleaming like his eyes.

Nadine snickered viciously, and though she hadn’t meant this comment in a malicious manner, she couldn’t help but feel a little angry when she recalled the implications behind it.

“You already did take me down once with you…wasn’t it enough?”

He paused for a moment, and she saw his jaw drop a little as they made their way through and onward, the mud soon disappearing and being replaced instead with light gravel, meaning they were soon approaching the old tombs and bunkers.

“Three times.” He hung his head low and spoke down to their feet.

It had nearly gone unheard, but she caught it at the last moment.

“Three times?”

“Remember? It was right before you brought Rafe and your men to me and Nate. Gotta say though, it was fun gettin’ the drop on you then.”

She smiled to herself as she replayed some of the best and most frustrating moments in Libertalia. She had let her guard down, and the older Drake had interrupted her just when she had the end of her gun pointed down at the younger Drake brother, and her boot right on his chest…

“Ja, don’t think I’ve forgotten, Drake!” She tried keeping her voice stern, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold up the façade for long, not unless he dropped the subject himself.

“I can’t believe I knocked you down, ha!” He laughed, looking ahead as they saw lights and old lit torches mounted high on the bricked walls nearing the old bunker tombs.

Nadine studied his face in the dim light, and she felt a bit playful when she noted his energetic eyes. 

“I recall kicking both your ass and your brother’s…at the same time, I might add.” 

His smile fell. 

“Yeah but…well…you weren’t even our target anyway, so…” He coughed, trying to cover the embarrassing memory.

“Mhmm, such a noteworthy and golden moment it was for me, being put up against the infamous Drake brothers indeed.”

“Hey! We kinda held our own back there!” Sam snapped, but smiled when he saw she wasn’t being serious.

Nadine giggled, “Uh huh, you were the first to go down! At least your brother put up quite the fight!”

Sam grumbled, “I got a few punches in!”

“You did not! Absolutely not!”

“I did!” He retorted, but her laughter overpowered his cries of denial.

“The moment I had you backed into a corner, you cried out for your younger brother!”

Sam held up a hand when he knew he couldn’t argue back anymore. He shook his head as he surrendered.

“Alright, alright, have your little moment of glory, Miss Ross…”

“It’s not glory; it’s merely the truth!” She interrupted proudly.

“Yeah but you-” He suddenly buckled down and out of Nadine’s grip, and he fell to the floor in a heavy thud.

He hadn’t been on the ground for long when Nadine gasped and dove down after him, trying to pull him back up right away.

“Sam! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to let go, I just-”

She stopped when she felt a warm, wetness on her arms and coating her hands when she gripped and held onto his shoulders, and soon the coppery stench of blood filled the air.

Sam peered down at the wound and the moment he took in the sight of his own crimson blood drenching his neck and chest, he visibly grew gaunter and paler.

His shirt was practically eighty percent blood, and twenty percent sweat and mud. Nadine also gaped at the wound, though she was careful to erase her worried facial expression in case Sam noticed it and went into more shock or panic.

She knew it wasn’t the time to sit around and gape and mope, and she gently collected his arm once again and draped it over the back of her neck and shoulders and began dragging him to the entrance of the underground bunkers.

“Come on, we’re wasting time, and I need to get your wound looked at!”

Sam coughed and snickered, “Since when did you become a doctor?”

“I served as a field med for a bit when I was with Shoreline, you know.”

Nadine carefully kicked away and aside fallen beams, planks, old worn out clothing and who knew what else as they made their way inside broken-down and burnt rooms, looking for somewhere half soft where she could rest Sam and get his wound looked at.

She felt her eyes burning mostly from exhaustion and stress as they moved from the entrance of room to room, with most of the rooms being so burnt and destroyed that making the first step past the debris and mess would prove to be a fatal error.

Nadine poked her head in one of the last rooms in the long stretch of hallway, and her eyes desperately searched this room faster than the last ones while Sam hung, barely clinging onto consciousness beside her. 

She knew he was losing more blood the longer they waited, and she decided that this room was ‘safer’ than the previous ones, so she took a step forward and gently began pushing Sam towards an overturned bench which had been tossed half-way across the room.

Singed and scorched papers and folders which were practically ashen were strewn about the room, practically littering it beyond recognition. It seemed as if the floors themselves were made of paper, ready to crumble and fall apart, disappearing into the wind like a fallen house of cards…

Nadine bent down, and with Sam’s heavy weight practically pressing into her back, she managed to overturn the decades old bench, and while she wondered if it would bear his weight, she laid him down on his back and took a deep breath as she raised and lowered her hands up and down a few times close to his wound. 

She couldn’t just reach out and grab it…she watched in helpless silence as Sam’s chest rose and fell as he closed his eyes and grew an even paler shade of white…

Nadine felt for the hunting blade in her boot and used it to rip Sam’s shirt clean open in a few seconds.

She pushed the torn halves of the shirt aside, revealing his blood-caked chest, and she nearly heaved at the heavy stench of blood that came with it. The bullet was buried deeply in Sam’s skin, but when she peered carefully, she saw it was at a position which could be removed from his flesh, if dealt with a precise, expert hand… 

She studied his flesh some more, using the ‘cleaner’ parts of his shirt to wipe away as much of the blood as she could, so she could see where she had to begin.

Nadine heard him snicker.

“Didn’t know you were so eager to take my clothes off, Miss Ross.” 

She glared at him but was also more impressed that he was able to keep a sense of humor in the middle of all this. 

“Oh shut up.” She hissed at him as she cleaned away the rest of his blood, careful to avoid the bullet whenever her fingers grazed his shoulder. 

“How bad is it?” He sighed, and it was followed by a sharp intake of painful breath as his eyebrows clenched tightly together. 

“Surely you of all people can feel how bad it is.”

He turned his head to the side and grew silent, which made Nadine worry. The last thing he needed was her negativity, and she felt immediately guilty and wished she had rephrased her answer.

“It can be removed, Sam.” 

With this renewed hope, he turned his head back, and his eyes were barely half-way open. He regarded her with a small, painful smile, his eyes watery, perhaps from exhaustion or pain or both.

“So let’s remove it, then.” 

Nadine sighed, not wanting to speak this truth, but she knew it couldn’t be avoided.

“I don’t have antiseptic, this’ll hurt, a lot…” 

He gave her a single, firm nod.

“Just do it.”

She reached out a hand and wiped away some sweat gathering on his forehead.

“Lie still, and I’ll try to make it as quick and painless for you as possible.”

“You’re the boss.” 

He closed his eyes and she could tell he was biting his lower lip in anticipation.

Nadine held her knife firmly in both hands, twisting and turning it over in the dim lights a few times, the only ambiance in the background the slight dripping of water and the fire of the torches crinkling in the distance. She held the knife so long that she soon noticed it wavering and shaking. Her nerves were catching up with her mind, and she knew she had to act before they completely took over and Sam lost more blood. 

She looked up at him, making sure he was at least in a somewhat rested position, and when he was, she lowered the sharp blade to his skin, and sliced away at it as carefully as she could.

 “~~~~~~~~~”

The bullet had successfully been removed, the knife catching it at as it stuck out in a jagged manner once Nadine had wiped away more blood than she had seen in a long time. Her knife had made a clean path to it, and she had removed it with as little fuss as she could handle, though Sam had screamed so much that he had passed out from exhaustion and pain the moment she pulled the bullet out from his shoulder.

He had been reduced to a mumbling mess before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out.

Nadine found some tattered blankets in the bunker they were in and tried creating a comfortable sleeping arrangement for them both as she watched and listened to Sam’s light snores.

She was relieved he was breathing, at least, though she wasn’t sure when he would wake up.

After an hour or so, when she was sure he was fast asleep, she had been able to gather enough paper and wood for a small makeshift fire. She dug a small hole in the center of the bunker after some of the old wood came and fell apart, and she stacked the items in the center, and fished out Sam’s lighter.

She lit the fire and sat on the opposite side of it across from Sam, mentally thanking Sam for his smoking habits as she felt the heat of the small warm up her body and ease the aching and throbbing out of his bones and muscles.

She sat with her knees drawn to her chest, thinking about the events of the last twenty-four hours, and every so often, her eyes would fall onto Sam’s sleeping form, his hands folded on his lap as he lay still, wrapped under the torn sheets and blankets. She didn't even remember when she'd taken the time to clean his face, but she must have...

Nadine sighed and stood, pacing the room as she massaged her arms and fingers, stretching her neck and moving it side to side.

Her boots soon came upon bits of broken glass, and she looked down at them. She carefully grabbed the largest shard she could find, and she wiped the dirt off it with the back of her hand and held it up to her face.

Her tired reflection greeted her, and Nadine nearly threw the glass shard back down in fright when she saw how worn out and depleted she looked. Her hair was still mostly soaked, caked in blood and dirt, and bruises covered her face at every angle. She seemed almost unrecognizable, and it made her so angry that she eventually tossed the glass shared back down and stomped on it with her boot.

What she would give to wipe away the existence of that damn witch of a woman in a second…

She was the cause of all this misery, and she was the source of Nadine’s failures and flaws. She had beaten her twice now, and Nadine refused to let this persist. She was not going to accept a failure on her part, not after Shoreline…

She felt her anger heating from her stomach all the way bubbling and rising to her throat, and to her face…she blinked, and she knew it would soon erupt, but she was unable to keep it down any longer.

It didn’t matter that Sam had been sleeping less than ten feet away from her, she bent down and grabbed a rock and flung it at the wall in front of her and screamed at the top of her lungs.

Her screams and the thudding sound of the rock being flung at the old wall wildly woke Sam up, and he bolted and groaned loudly in pain, one hand still on his lap, while the other cradled the back of his head as if he’d been knocked in the back of the head with a blunt object. 

“What’s wrong?! Nadine!?" He looked around in fright, his face still slightly pale, but most of the color having come back and rejuvenating his face.

She turned and looked at him in shame, an apologetic expression crossing her features, when the wall she’d struck with the heavy rock began grumbling.

Both Sam and Nadine looked in shock as the wall crumbled and collapsed, revealing a second wall layer behind the first. 

Once the dust, debris, and air had settled, Sam and Nadine were faced with an old, but still intact large framed photo of Adolf Hitler.

The life-sized portrait looked to be an artist’s painting of the dictator, and it loomed over them, Hitler’s evil, menacing gaze not exactly peering over at them dressed in his Nazi uniform, but looking somewhere above them, perhaps. It was as if he knew, and he had been listening the entire time…

Nadine turned and knelt by Sam’s side, pressing a comforting hand to his hands.

“Sleep, I’m sorry about that, I just…just sleep.”

She shook her head, berating herself for her outburst.

Sam looked at the portrait still, but eventually broke out of the gaze, and when he looked at her, finally, he gave her a broken half-smile.

“Well, how do you expect me to sleep now, with Mein Fuhrer lookin’ at me like that?”

Nadine’s jaw dropped slightly, and she sputtered a few times, before she and Sam both broke out simultaneously in many rounds of laughter that filled the entire bunker for many long minutes.


	15. Here Come the Ravens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! Attempted rape!

**Chapter 15**

“Quit bitin’ on your lip and pacing like that; you’re making me nervous.”

Nadine looked up from her mild pacing across the tattered, heated room as Sam craned his neck slightly upwards at her and gave her a half-smile. His lips were a dull pink, and there was barely any color present in his face, but what mattered was he was conscious, lucid, and aware of the situation and his surroundings.

She ceased her pacing and placed her hands on her hips, knowing that if she didn’t, she’d either wring them, or worse, find something else to fling at an innocent wall.

“Sorry, I’m just worried that if…” she paused, peeking over at him once, and then looking away once she took in his disheveled appearance.

“…forget it.”

He shook his head, “You’re worried about the container and if the bride of Satan has it in her grasp now, I know.”

She gripped her hipbones tightly in her fingers as she felt her cheeks flare up in anger and embarrassment that he had been able to read her worries and mind so easily.

“How did you-”

Sam chuckled softly, “You wear your thoughts on your face.”

She glared at him but decided against arguing once her stomach turned. How long had it been since they’d had a good, decent meal?

She couldn’t remember, and she chose instead to sit down in front of the weakening, dying fire across from Sam.

“I just don’t want all our efforts to go to waste…is that such a bad thing?” The rise in her tone of voice at the end of her question made Sam look at her intently, though she was unable to meet his eyes, worried about his expression.

He didn’t move, but he breathed through his nose deeply before speaking.

“I wouldn’t put it like that.”

“But we don’t have the container, or the disc!” She couldn’t help but nearly shriek, and once again she felt her emotions and anger spiraling out of control and threatening to spill over unjustly at Sam. She hadn’t meant to direct her anger towards him, but he wasn’t really the best smooth-talker and skilled at planning and sticking according to the plan.

He sighed, “Nadine, don’t worry. I know Sully, and there’s nothing that old con can’t get if he wants to.”

That didn’t help or calm her nerves, but she was too exhausted to argue and bicker, so she let it settle and closed her eyes as she counted silently to three.

“I just want to get what’s rightfully ours.”

Sam suddenly barked out a chipper laugh that went on for many long seconds before Nadine growled and scraped her booted feet along the ground at him to get his attention.

“What’s so damn funny to you now?”

He laughed a few more seconds before he reached up and pushed some of his messy hair away from his forehead.

“We just escaped death over three times now, and instead of being happy about that, you’re so worried about things that could go wrong, yet haven’t!”

“ _Yet!_ ” She supplied with venom and rage, feeling her fingers tightening inside the palm of her hands as she balled them into fists she rested against the ground.

Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head once.

“See there’s that negativity again, Nadine. You gotta give things a chance before they go wrong."

He made it sound oh-so-easy.

She huffed at him, silently envying his wide-eyed optimism.

“Haven’t you ever heard of damage control?” He asked, looking up at the ceiling as he attempted to fold his hands back behind his head, but found he couldn’t move his bandaged shoulder, still.

He hissed in pain and chose to leave his hands at the sides of his body instead.

“Damn it.”

Nadine frowned as she thought his question over, not yet ready to answer. The truth was, she really didn’t have a good answer to his question. She hadn’t exactly been trained to always think as if things would turn out for the best…

She shook her head, “Not how my life has been, so you tend to just stick to it like a habit.”

His next question hadn’t been something she was prepared for, and when he asked it, she nearly fell over in shock.

“Tell me about your life a bit, please.”

She slowly raised her head to regard him, as if fearful he would strike her in the face, and when her eyes met his, she felt she couldn’t look away at anything else…

Sam’s eyes were kind, and they shone directly into hers, his smile growing wider when she didn’t look away and maintained eye-contact.

Nadine swallowed and whispered, “Why?”

She felt ashamed of her own voice and the tone, feeling that her once collected and controlled demeanor was stripped away by the man in the same room as her, reducing her to a jumbled mess of uncontrolled emotions that were raw as freshly chopped meat.

Sam’s smile never faltered.

“I want to know as much about you as possible.”

Nadine felt absolutely naked and open beneath his gaze, and it definitely made her feel uncomfortable, but nowhere near offended or defensive as she would have felt had it been anyone else other than Sam Drake asking her this request. She felt guilt running through her veins when her eyes moved to his unclothed chest and regarded the red stained mock-bandage she'd tied around his arm and shoulders to cover and hold back the bleeding after she'd removed the bullet.

She must have been going mad, finally, she mused as she finally broke away from his gaze and sighed.

“There’s a lot about me I don’t know if anyone would want to hear.”

Sam rolled over on his good shoulder and sat up, never taking his eyes off her as he got in a ‘comfortable’ sitting position, his arms hanging loosely in his lap as he crossed his legs.

“We’ve got time.”

Nadine still felt reluctant, and when he could sense her apprehension, he thought of something quickly.

“What were you like when you were younger? Why don’t we start with that?” He smiled through his question, hoping it would ease her and get her to open up.

She once again met his eyes, and her mind began the recollections and events before the words were formed… 

_“Did you expect to celebrate your twenty-second birthday like this, Ross?”_

_She looked up from the table she’d sat at, focusing on polishing and rubbing her boots furiously so she could quickly get out of the small crowd of men that had formed around her._

_It had been a particularly long day of training, with the men and Nadine having been ordered to drag out their own boats into the large ocean close to the base camp. The exercise had begun at dawn and ended barely an hour ago._

_They had been denied food, water, and even warmth. They were tossed into the cruel, cold sea after they’d retrieved their small boats, the teams breaking before they were even formed._

_One man was to drive the boat, while the other two were to hang on the sides, throwing out a teammate into the violent, churning waves, making a turn later and grabbing the discarded man to tug back onto the boat._

_Nadine knew it was one of her father’s many sadistic so-called ‘endurance’ tests. He wanted to test whether they could drag their own body weight out of the water, and another person’s as well._

_In the end, Nadine had been so exhausted from trying to organize the team she’d been handed, barking out orders in the middle of the loud crashing waves as the boat’s motor roared on as they zipped through the cold, dark waters._

_Her dysfunctional, uncoordinated team decided to boot her out of the boat next once they’d approached the middle mark of their obstacle course, marked by a long, heavy old net that stretched out for yards and yards, and she could barely think before she had swallowed a ton of salty seawater._

_She’d waved her arms at her boat as they turned back to race to the shore, and then turned back around to get her. It was something of a competitive race, and despite her father instructing the men that it wasn’t a matter of competition, Nadine knew he had specifically mentioned this fact in hopes that his reverse psychology game would turn the men against each other. As usual, it had indeed._

_She’d been sprayed and splashed in the face multiple times as other team’s boats flew past her above the waves, the boats bouncing up and down as she was pointed at, laughed at, and jeered and mocked._

_Still, she patiently waited for her team’s boat, and when she saw the two outstretched arms of Maxwell and Peters, two of her closest ‘friends’-as far as anyone Nadine would consider as a friend-she leapt up from the water as much as she could to grab onto them._

_She successfully grabbed onto them for a minute, but when she leapt up and clung to the side of the boat, she rocked the boat slightly, and some of the crashing waves fell into the boat, splashing over Peters._

_Peters was a smaller-built man who had been admitted into Shoreline just when he turned eighteen. After a few months of training and Nadine’s father’s borderline cruel initiation methods, Peters had woken Nadine up in the middle of the night in fright, begging her through his tears to help him escape._

_The poor young teenager had been kicked out of his adoptive parents’ home, and without any further choice, he had been ‘forced’ into service and training. He hadn’t the money for school or college, and Shoreline’s habit of accepting anyone without a high school diploma had seemed favourable and wonderful at the time…_

_Nadine struggled to lift a leg up and over the boat, and more water followed her as she tried pulling herself up into the boat, but Peters soon lost his footing when the boat rocked hard as it slammed against a particularly rough wave._

_The motion sent Peters flying backwards, spitting out and coughing water as he let go of Nadine’s hands. The blonde-haired, wiry teen fell back roughly into the boat, and Nadine tightly and instinctively gripped the side of the boat with both her hands._

_“Peters!”_

_She tried lifting herself back up, but the boat was going too fast, too soon, and she was so hungry and tired…_

_She felt the last bit of her strength leave her body, and her fingers soon grew tired and cold like the rest of her body. Out of her control now, she felt them let go of the boat, and she was once again at the cold dark mercy of the sea._

_They’d lost, and her father especially hadn’t let her forget it. He glared at her while his insulting words repeatedly bashed her over the head as he dismissed the rest of the men and called them all a bunch of ‘useless panty-wastes’._

_Nadine bit her tongue from retorting back to her father, and even now as she slammed her boots back down onto the floor once she’d finished polishing them._

_She glared up at her team and placed a hand under her chin._

_“I don’t need to be reminded of my own failures, so if you’re all through with the mocking, I need to get to bed.”_

_An opposing team member, a man by the name of Russel refused to let the subject drop so easily._

_“Ross, you couldn’t even drag your own body weight out of the water today.”_

_Another thick, deep voice spoke up in agreement, "Yeah and here I was thinkin' that Peters was the lady!"_

_"Oooh!"  Their immature voices hooted and howled in laughter, which stung Nadine's ears, but more from the volume than the insults._

_She snapped her head up and glared daggers in his direction._

_“What’re you saying, Russel?”_

_He smirked maniacally at her while some of the other men snickered, exchanging looks as they sat about the cabin and silently cheered Russel on with nods of their heads._

_Russel leaned forward, placing a hand on Nadine’s shoulder while he wore a seemingly innocent smile._

_“Well,” he began while someone laughed boisterously in the back somewhere, “…you’re the weakest link, Ross. That’s just how it is!”_

_He laughed and cheered on with the rest of his team while Nadine mimicked his smile and placed a hand on his shoulder as he had with her._

_“You know what, Russel?” She spoke in a soft, calm voice as she too leaned in real close to him that she could smell his gross breath._

_He smirked and leaned in close to her, which gave Nadine the opportunity to amp up her feminine charms as she blushed and forced herself to smile lustfully at him._

_“I think there is a weak link, you’re right…” She said softly as she bashfully looked down at the floor._

_The rest of the men ‘ooooed’ and jeered as they listened on._

_She looked back up at Russel, who seemed stricken and frozen in her grip as he looked at her lips for a moment…_

_That was when Nadine sunk her strong fingers into the softest part of his shoulder as close to his neck as possible, where it would hurt._

_Having not been able to expect the violent gesture, Russel gasped and screamed in pain, letting go of his grasp of Nadine’s shoulder, his hands coming to cradle his wounded shoulder, and Nadine immediately took action. She wrapped an arm around his neck and like a vicious snake, she tightened her grip on his neck, yanked him down to her sternum and wrapped another hand around the arm choking his neck. She looped her arms together like a noose around his thick neck as she held him down in place against her._

_“The weakest link I see is you!”_

_He choked as laughter and gasps echoed and erupted around the cabin, half of the men cheering Nadine on, and the other half telling her to let Russel go._

_Nadine wasn’t finished, and she was rather proud of her strength as she felt Russel squirming and fighting back while he bent by the force of her chest bearing down on him, his fingers clawing at her looped choke-hold around his neck._

_She scoffed, “Look at you; letting your guard down simply because I am a woman. Disgusting and pitiful.”_

_She hadn’t heard the door to the cabin open behind her, but she noticed the rest of the men backing up right away as their cheering and booing died down._

_They quickly stood straight and lined up directly in front of their bunk beds in a solid, firm linear fashion, and Nadine turned her neck to see what the commotion was._

_She felt her blood freeze in her veins once she saw it was her father._

_She let Russel go, and he stood up, coughing and clearing his throat for a moment, but then stood to attention by Nadine’s side as they stood in place and greeted their superior officer._

_Nadine’s father was barely an inch taller than Nadine, and majority of the men loomed and towered over him in height, but his demeanor and presence was enough to fill buildings and rooms with an overbearing, weighty feeling of suffocation._

_Colonel Wayne Ross was a medium-sized build of a man, and his skin was barely a shade darker than Nadine’s, but it was mostly from being out under the blazing hot sun than anything else. He wore a dark olive-green cap on his head, and he had on a matching colored Shoreline uniform on._

_He studied the room before him, and his men, his thin lips not revealing a single expression as he reached up and ran a few fingers through his greying small mustache._

_Once his rounds of the room were complete, he walked back to Nadine and Russel, and he looked at Nadine up and down once before sighing at her coldly._

_“Today was shit for all of you.”_

_Nadine immediately felt her heart sink and her cheeks flare, knowing her father wouldn’t stop anytime soon once he began._

_Her father’s voice was calm as he spoke, now studying Russel up and down as he had with Nadine previously._

_“You bunch of wild things won’t make it, according to Sergeant Billings" he paused as he watched a shorter soldier wince as he met his eyes "…and I kinda agree with him.”_

_Of course her father would listen and agree with anything his right hand man said, but Nadine sensed something else was on her father’s mind, and though she didn’t want to know, she knew she had to listen for the sake of her inexperienced, naïve group._

_There would be no other reason for barging in their cabin aside from her father’s planning and organizing another torture training exercise._

_“Lucky for you all, I’m a very generous man who believes in second chances.”_

_He paced away from Nadine and Russel, and Nadine was quick enough to see Russel toss her a worried look._

_She turned her attention back to her father as he walked back to them._

_“Tomorrow will really show and tell us all who the real chicken-shit bastards are, and who the men are.”_

_Her father stood, placing his hands behind his back and looping them together as he puffed out his chest and smiled a very cold, cruel smile._

_The effect of it seemed to dampen the mood and darken everything, and Nadine knew nothing could change her father’s mind now._

_“Infiltrate enemy territory; acquire their weapons, extract further information, and report back.”_

_It wasn’t that simple…ever._

_He turned and began making his way back out as silently as he’d entered._

_“We move out at 0100 hours.”_

_“~~~~~~~~~~”_

_Nadine felt cold that night no matter how many sheets she’d slept under._

_Snores erupted the sleeping cabin, but she could hear her own heartbeat over them all. She tossed and turned, eventually deciding to stare up at the underside of the bunk bed above her._

_This was all going to hell, and she couldn’t help but keep anticipating the worst for when they were to wake up in less than two more hours._

_They’d learned they’d be driven out in large trucks in the middle of the desert soon, and rumors of a small guerrilla war lead by a terrorist group trying to acquire control and power to oversee a massive weapons trade from the Ukraine to other war-ridden countries had been breaking out._

_Although this was deemed a ‘group’ exercise, Nadine knew that her father’s few ‘favourites’, which consisted of aggressive, manipulative men who selected and nominated themselves as leaders and superiors over the rest of the men, would soon take control and ruin the entire exercise. This had happened a few times too many, but her father strangely paid it no mind and didn’t reprimand or punish those favourites._

_Nadine grabbed her pillow and tried making it more comfortable and softer for her head, but she hadn’t been able to properly fix it._

_A warm hand gently touched her side, and she turned around and sat up straight in the dark._

_A weak sniffle soon met her ears, and she knew it was Peters even before he spoke to her._

_“Peters! You have to get back to sleep! We have to leave soon!” She kept her voice down as low as she could, not wanting a single person to hear their conversation._

_Peters was picked on a lot by men like Russel, and while Nadine usually kept to herself, bullying and targeting a vulnerable person wasn’t something she personally could tolerate._

_She’d formed a small alliance with Peters; being there for him whenever he needed to talk or vent, trying to help him with their training by teaching him how to take apart and load a weapon, and sometimes going for jogs and walks with him whenever they couldn’t sleep._

_Peters usually wouldn’t wake her in the middle of the night like this, unless something really was scaring or worrying him…_

_She squinted in the dark until she could somewhat make out his forehead and nose, and she saw his eyes gleaming as he looked around nervously, but his eyes were gleaming and shining from tears; not happiness or thrills._

_Nadine placed a comforting hand on his back._

_“Hey, hey,” she cooed soothingly, watching and feeling him lean against her touch and lower his head as he tried holding his sobs back._

_He snapped out of it after a moment’s respite and straightened himself out as he shifted on the edge of the bunk bed._

_“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”_

_Nadine gave him all her attention, abandoning sleep for the time being._

_“It’s alright, what’s going on?” She asked softly and gently, hoping it would calm him down and help him sleep after he said whatever he needed to._

_He sighed as he wiped his eyes and looked somewhere in the dark, perhaps at her, perhaps not…_

_“Nadine, if it hadn’t been for me, you wouldn’t have been looked down upon by everyone!”_

_Nadine shook her head in disbelief. Peters was a very passive, young man with a lot still to learn, and the way his personality was made it a lot easier for manipulative people to get him to sway in any direction, effectively taking full advantage of him._

_Nadine had been hoping Peters would learn to stand his ground and voice his displeasure of being taken advantage of and abused, but it seemed as if the young teenager still needed plenty of time to learn and adapt to this mind frame._

_She looked at him with a serious expression, even though she had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to see it, and if he was looking at her directly, through his tears and in the dark, he wouldn’t be able to make much out, probably._

_“Peters, do not think like that. Ever.”_

_Her stern voice made him look up and hiccup once through a sniffle._

_“But it was my fault…”_

_“Stop it.”_

_He nodded and held his hands together, and Nadine soon noticed it was because he was shaking and trying to cover it up in front of her. The bed shook slightly as his body did, and Nadine felt the need to offer him more comfort, but held back once he sniffled and wheezed a painfully sad breath._

_“Nadine, you’re one of my best friends here…hell, the only friend I really have…I don’t know what’s wrong with me where I can’t do shit properly!”_

_She resisted the urge to slap him across the back of the head._

_“Peters! This isn’t any way to go about things!”_

_He sighed and used his arms to wipe away the salty tears._

_Nadine leaned in to make sure he heard her as she whispered._

_“If you want to be a good friend to me, take heed to my words; pay attention to the training, and just be strong, Peters.”_

_He felt comfort from her, and clearly found something in her voice soothing and relaxing, for he smiled a wide smile, and wiped his eyes completely. He sat still and nodded, the bed shaking yet again as he repeated the motion silently for many long moments._

_Nadine chuckled, “Oi, Peters, I’m beginning to feel dizzy, so refrain from resorting to bobble-head motions and get back to bed!”_

_They simultaneously chuckled, Peters gently tapping her arm with a clenched fist, and she returned the gesture playfully._

_“I appreciate it, Nadine.”_

_Someone moved in the bunk bed above them and groaned._

_“Shut the hell up with the whispering!”_

_Nadine reached up and punched upwards roughly into the mattress above, and the other man groaned and hissed._

_“You shut up!”_

_Peters laughed harder at this, and Nadine nodded over in the dark towards his bed._

_“Go. Everything will be alright, Peters, I promise.”_

_She felt his weight shift away and off the edge of the bed, and she heard his footsteps softly pad off._

_He stopped for a moment, and she could picture him turning around to face her again, a smile widely on his face, and likely not to go away anytime soon._

_“Thank you, Nadine.”_

_“~~~~~~~~~~”_

_They loaded their weapons silently as the lights of the trucks practically seared through their tired eyes, and they sat in the back on the seats across from each other, looking at their feet, looking at their laps and fingers and hands…_

_A few miles away from the base, they were kicked out of the trucks by superior officers and drill sergeants who threw their weapons at them and roughly kicked them in the shins, backs, and legs as they booted them out into the large, still dark fields._

_The team of twenty men snuck and slunk down into the thick, long blades of scorched grass, turning off their lights and trying to keep their breathing down to a very limited number of puffs as they crept along until they’d approached one of the guerrilla terrorist camp sites._

_Smoke and cigars stung Nadine’s eyes, and she was forced to keep her head low as she heard and felt Peters at her side, his AK47 hanging loosely in his arms, his fingers clenching and unclenching around the trigger._

_Nadine turned and looked at him with a worried expression, and he soon caught her staring at him and looked at her._

_“It’s okay.” She mouthed to him, and watched him nod and swallow, his Adam’s Apple bobbing up along his throat animatedly and almost seeming to be exaggerated, almost._

_The sun was slowly rising behind them, which meant it was soon going to be close to six in the morning._

_Nadine knew everyone else’s nerves were just as on edge as hers were, but they were all trying to hide and conceal it to the best of their abilities._

_This was the first solo assignment they’d been given, and Nadine felt that it was a real simulation as opposed to a practice or drill._

_Bradley, one of her father’s favourites, and one of the most stubborn, pigheaded men in Shoreline, had been proudly boasting all morning as they rode in the trucks that he knew the simulation was fake, and the actors had been planted there to scare them all into thinking this was real. He claimed he knew this was a simple exercise, and he was going to lead them all and get them through it, but Nadine spoke back to him and told him how foolish he was. She knew her father better than anyone else, and this entire operation screamed ‘real’ to her, no matter what Bradley claimed he’d heard._

_The camp was a few yards away from them, seemingly calm, abandoned, and forgotten. Small fires were put out, and tents stood, though no movement came from them._

_Bradley looked at the camp closer through the lens of his sniper rifle, and he aimed randomly at one of the tents._

_“What’re we doing like a couple of sitting ducks here? Let’s blow this shithole apart already.”_

_Nadine pushed the sniper rifle down onto his lap with a few fingers in a small warning gesture._

_“Trust me, just focus on what your eyes will see instead of what you think you know and heard.”_

_Bradley scoffed and then spat at the ground._

_“This is the kinda shit that’s making this team so weak.”_

_Nadine glared at him and tried keeping her voice low as she noticed the other men were staring back and forth at them._

_She spoke slowly to him, hoping he would listen to her._

_“Hold back, it’s clearly a trap, Bradley!”_

_He shook his head, defiant and stubborn as a pig._

_“I’m leading this shit, so you follow me!”_

_Nadine felt her temper flare, and she knew they were all causing a racket, but this was beyond madness, and Bradley was getting everyone else nervous._

_“We need to keep our heads on our shoulders, we can’t think if we’re all like this!”_

_She looked around at them all, and they seemed to have mixed feelings as they gaped around at the two ‘leaders’._

_Bradley gripped his weapon tightly, his chin jutting out in arrogance as he began rising up from their hiding spot._

_“Move forward, men!”_

_“I said hold back!” Nadine cried out in anger, already seeing bloodshed before it had even had a chance to occur._

_“Come on!”_

_A few of the other men leapt to their feet, all of them screaming war cries in unison._

_“DON’T!” Nadine’s screams and warnings went unheard, and they all charged on._

_Bradley grabbed another man’s gun, shoving him aside as he raced forward, firing warning shots meant to scare their enemies._

_Nadine scrambled to get up but decided against it when she saw a few men in dark ski masks flying out of the tents._

_She dropped back down to her stomach and crawled quickly along on her elbows and arms, and she felt and heard Peters and a few of the other less aggressive men following in her lead._

_Gunshots blared on above them, and Nadine found a terrorist with his back to her._

_She leapt up and plunged her hunting knife into his shoulder, effectively taking him down and covering his cries with her hand._

_Beside her, Peters looked on, his face drained of color as he observed the man coughing and slowly dying before them._

_“Peters! Watch out ahead!”_

_Nadine crept along, making sure to stay low, and once a few more screams and explosions roared up, she knew she had to act quickly._

_She bashed another masked terrorist over the back of the head with her pistol, and he fell down silently. She’d made off with another few men when a scream came from somewhere behind her._

_She knew it was Peters before she’d turned to see what had happened._

_He was held down beneath a heavy net, and a group of men were holding him down with their boots, their weapons dangerously close and aimed at his head…_

_That was when someone slammed something hard and blunt over her head, and she collapsed out cold._

_“~~~~~~~~~~”_

_She heard heavy boots thumping in front of her when she woke to an abrupt startle._

_Her hands were tied behind her back, and she realized she was sitting on a cold, hard wooden chair._

_Nadine looked around at her surroundings, and she saw a few more masked terrorists as they paced around and poked and prodded the rest of her captured team members with their weapons and boots._

_One of the terrorists kicked Bradley in the shins particularly hard._

_“It’s this son of a bitch who came shooting ahead first.” The low, gravelly voice beneath the mask spoke out coldly._

_“I can hardly wait to bury a bullet in his brain.”_

_They were seated inside a small hut like building, water pouring and dripping in through the cracks in the ceiling, old lights broken and swinging from the rafters, and the entire building smelling like rotten wood and rainwater._

_Nadine heard Bradley scream again and soon he was decked across the face, hard._

_She began fighting and fidgeting with the knot at her hands, hoping she could wriggle out of this and untie herself._

_She looked down and saw and felt bindings around her feet, too, tying her roughly to her chair. She wasn’t going to be getting up anytime soon…_

_Bradley was repeatedly punched in the face, and each blow made his blood splatter across his shirt, his lap, and the floor, soon._

_“STOP IT!” Nadine screamed when she was unable to take the abuse any longer._

_She gained plenty of attention, and three of the large terrorists walked calmly over to her while she sat beside the rest of her team, their tired, worn out heads drooping as they whimpered and shivered in their seats._

_A taller terrorist leaned down to face her, his pink thick lips poking out through the spaces and holes in the mask, and a shiny gleam in his eyes penetrating through with promises of nothing but violence and reverent terror._

_“We’ve taken your weapons, your group, and you cry out, why?” His question was a rather unexpected, pointed one, and it made Nadine feel absolutely nervous and fearful for once._

_She_ _knew he was right; they had nothing, and she was still clinging to her bold nature._

_Nadine began trembling, but soon caught herself, and ceased. She didn’t want to be intimidated by these animals, it’d be the last thing she would do, and she was prepared to go down with dignity and a fight if it meant saving at least a few of her team members…_

_“Enough with the bullshit,” the man before her rested a large hand on her thigh, “…we don’t know who or what you are, so tell me everything you know, starting from yourself, my beauty.”_

_Nadine glared down at his disgusting hand, taking note that it was working its way very slowly up and down the length of her thigh, and he suddenly wedged it between her clenched legs, spreading them apart suddenly and strongly._

_Nadine gasped once he rubbed his palm right over the center of her pants, right between her legs._

_The other two men watched, laughing and chuckling deeply at their leader as he felt his way up along Nadine’s chest, and gave her breast a pat and a squeeze._

_“You should talk, my exotic one…I know that you brought these men here, and you should tell me everything if you want to have their lives spared…”_

_He looked at her breasts hungrily, and his hands began moving to her belt buckle…_

_Nadine struggled, even though she knew it was pointless. The ties dug into her wrists and legs worse, and she soon began to feel her skin burn, both from the rope and his disgusting hands…._

_The menacing pervert had her belt taken off, and he tossed it somewhere on the floor, as rounds of laughter rose louder and louder._

_“Why did you bring your men here?”_

_He kept prodding and repeating as he unzipped her dark khakis, and she fought once again._

_“Stop struggling!” He warned, and she fought on, spitting in his face when he tried placing his hands on her hips to hold her in place._

_He growled, and immediately, one of his men punched her in the jaw._

_“Just tell me why you brought your men to my camp, how you found us, and I promise I’ll be gentle with you.”_

_Nadine turned away from him, spitting saliva and blood on the floor instead._

_The terrorists knew the gesture was one of defiance, and they sighed._

_“You’ll talk soon enough…”_

_He pushed her legs apart once more, and a hand snuck its way down her pants…_

_Nadine cringed when she felt his cold, slimy hand touch her above her underwear, and she soon began panicking._

_“HEY! ASSHOLE!”_

_The hand beneath her pants stopped moving._

_The man assaulting Nadine turned to the side and looked at Peters, who sat beside Nadine, panting and glaring at him with dark, threatening eyes._

_“What the hell did you say?”_

_Peters sat up in his chair, his back straight._

_“I said: HEY ASSHOLE!” The young, thin blonde teen repeated without any hesitance present in his voice._

_His voice practically shook the room, and all of the men on the team looked up in fright and anticipating of what would happen next._

_The hand was off her body in a second, and the terrorist stood, pulling out a knife and nearly poking Peters in the eye with it as he held it above his head, a hand gripped the back of his neck roughly._

_“And just who are you?” He roared, as if he was trying to compete with the level of screaming._

_It was a very frightening, traumatic experience, but in spite of it all, Peters held his glare and smiled._

_“I'm the one who brought them here, you stupid fu-”_

_He was punched in the face with the handle of the knife, and Peters fell backwards, tumbling down with his chair roughly._

_“DON’T TOUCH HIM!”_

_Bradley and a few other men started screaming, but Peters was pulled up on his feet, chair and all._

_The terrorists exchanged dark looks through their masks, and one of the three withdrew a knife and advanced on Peters._

_Nadine kicked and swung around so hard that she fell down like Peters had moments ago._

_“LEAVE HIM ALONE!”_

_She fought and wriggled, but she was only rubbing her skin worse against the ropes. Her anger and adrenaline blocked it out as she watched Peters being cut out of his seat and grabbed by the back of the neck and dragged across the room._

_“COWARDS!”_

_She screamed over and over at them as everyone else struggled, but all they could do was watch as two of the men opened a door and threw Peters through it and into another room out of their view._

_“YOU COWARDS!!”_

_She screamed until her lungs were raw and her throat was sore, but she watched through tears as the door closed, and the man who had nearly assaulted her walked through it last, closing it behind him._

_“Cowards…”_

_Her head fell, and her forehead rested against the cold, wet wooden floor of the room, and for the first time in her life, Nadine felt as powerless and vulnerable as the day she had been born._

_“~~~~~~~~~~”_

_It had been too late. By the time Nadine’s father had stormed down the small camp site with an army of his own, it had been too late. A select few scrambling terrorists had been unable to escape, and those who refused to be captured had committed suicide with a single bullet going through their head or beneath their chins._

_Everyone was cut loose, and Nadine immediately ran into the room where Peters had been thrown in, but the medical team was already in there, and she could only watch in horror as they lifted and retrieved the small, bloodied and battered body of Peters._

_They placed him on a stretcher and wheeled him out of the room, while Nadine followed, screaming and crying for Peters to wake up and say something._

_Peters had been pronounced dead a few hours later when they were in the hospital._

_Blunt force trauma to the head, and severe internal bleeding…that’s what the doctors had said, and that was what Nadine had been left with as she sat in her father’s office, shaking and quivering with a sweater on in front of a fireplace in the back of the room._

_He had done this to save her life…he had given up a very young, promising, long life for her…_

_Nadine closed her eyes, and she could hear what she imagined were his screams of terror as he was beaten and tortured to death…all because of her…he had bled and died because of her…_

_She screamed and kicked a few of the chairs at her father’s desk, and almost immediately, the door behind her opened, and Nadine’s father ran in the room followed by another older man dressed in a dark, expensive suit._

_Nadine felt her father grabbing her, one hand at her head, gently resting against her temple, and the other at her back, holding her as she screamed._

_“NADINE!”_

_She felt her screams die away, but the tears certainly didn’t._

_She pushed her father away with both hands roughly, and he stumbled backwards a bit, gaping at her as her eyes flashed darkly and angrily._

_She raised an index finger and pointed it at him angrily shaking._

_“YOU! It’s all because of you! This is our fault! But it’s your fault!”_

_The man behind her father cleared his throat, and Nadine glared over at him._

_“What do you want?” She growled and wanted him thrown out of the room._

_“Can’t you see we’re busy here?” She hissed again once he didn’t move._

_The man soon pulled out an envelope from one of the pockets of his suit._

_“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”_

_Nadine’s father ran a hand through his greying hair and sighed as he sat against the edge of his desk._

_“I’m done for, Nadine.”_

_Her father’s words shook her out of her anger, and she froze, dropping her accusing index finger._

_She frowned and squinted at the man with white shortly cropped hair._

_“What’s this?”_

_“I’m a lawyer who has been sent by Justin’s family,” he placed the envelope in the hands of Nadine’s father and backed away, folding his hands in front of his body._

_“…they’re taking legal action and filing a wrongful death suit against Shoreline, it’s owner, and you’re expected to respond at the time stated in the letter.”_

_Nadine’s father slammed his hands down on the desk and flung the envelope to the floor._

_“I can take a lot of crazy shit from punks I train, but I refuse to take shit from a dead kid who supposedly didn’t even have parents!”_

_Nadine gasped audibly once her father's words hit her._

_"Father! How can you stand there and speak so callously about a man who saved your daughter's life?!?"_

_He snapped at her, "Shut up and stay out of this, Nadine!"_

_The lawyer shrugged, “Either way, the family will see to it that Shoreline isn’t yours any longer.”_

_Nadine’s father sneered._

_“See you in court, then."_

_With a firm nod, the lawyer walked out as calmly and coolly as if it were nothing._

_When the door was closed, Nadine’s father walked over to the other side of his desk, pulled his chair out, and slumped down in a heap. He rested a hand against his forehead, breathing heavily._

_Nadine looked calmly at him, and then down at the discarded envelope._

_She bent down to pick it up and opened it. Reading through it until the end, she sighed and set it on her father’s desk._

_“There’s no way out of this; they’re taking the company away from you.”_

_Nadine’s father was silent for a while, and Nadine took this as a sign that it was time for her to make herself scarce. She began walking towards the door, when her father shifted and spoke quietly, but with a suggestion in between his words._

_“They can take it away from me…but not you…”_

_Nadine spun around slowly._

_“What’re you talking about?”_

_Her father looked ahead at her with empty eyes, and Nadine figured he was thinking and forming his plan._

_Just when she thought he had frozen and lost himself in his thoughts, he rested his elbows firmly on the desk as he looked seriously at his daughter._

_“They don’t want me to have Shoreline? Fine, but according to this letter, they don’t want a ‘Ross’ to have control and oversee Shoreline, and that’s damn well what’s gonna happen.”_

_He stood and walked over to Nadine, his eyes glazing over with a sense of glee and pride. To Nadine, her father looked insane, and she backed away instinctively._

_“You’re technically only a ‘Ross’ by legal name, but names can be changed anytime, and your mother…” they both froze, Nadine placing a hand over her lips._

_“…your mother…she never took the surname ‘Ross’, so as far as I’m concerned, you ain’t a ‘Ross’.”_

_Nadine clenched her lips shut and shook her head wildly, her hair flying around her face._

_“No, father, you can’t-”_

_He placed a finger on his lips, “Shh shh shh…. Nadine, it’s okay…it’s about time I left things to you anyway, I’d say you’re old enough to make your own decisions.”_

_She kept shaking her head, but he placed two strong hands on her cheeks and held her head firmly in place, stopping the motions._

_“Nadine, Shoreline now belongs to you. I’ll have it in legal writing after a few meetings with my lawyer.”_

_“Nooo…” Her whispers went unheard and ignored as her father nodded and held onto her tightly._

_“Nadine, baby girl, it’s time for me to let go.”_

_She looked at him, but the vision soon was blurred out due to her tears pouring out of her eyes and down her cheeks like an unstoppable tide._

_“It’s on your watch, Nadine, so take extra care.”_

_“~~~~~~~~~~”_

_A few of his closest friends and trusted ‘brothers’ helped him pack up before seven in the morning._

_Nadine sat outside in the large training fields, which were usually occupied and cramped with men who ran up and down the large hill that lead down to where cars, trucks, and bikes were parked behind a fence, and dog kennels and weapons were stored in locked sheds off to the side._

_The air was cool and crisp that morning, and the coffee cup she held in her hands wasn’t enough to warm her and shake her out of the trauma that had occurred in the last few days._

_Justin Peters was to have a funeral later in the week, and Nadine had begged her father to not show up for it. She never wanted to see him again when she recalled his cold words in his office._

_She watched from her spot in the tall grass as her father shook hands with his comrades and fellow officers, saluting the few soldiers who chose to show up and crowd around his truck as it was finally fully packed to the top. She was certain he'd been taking his trophies, awards, mountains of mentions of Shoreline in the newspapers, and who knew what other prizes and trinkets he held dearly valuable. She didn't care, however; he could pack up and take the entire world with him if it made him happy, but nothing was going to change her._

_Nadine heard their goodbyes and goodlucks, and she looked down at her coffee cup, taking in the fresh smell as it wafted up into her nostrils._

_She raised the cup and took a sip, her eyes flying above the rim and they were met with her father’s dark ones._

_He nodded at her and gave her a final salute._

_There were no words that needed to be said; only feelings of regret, denial, anger, and hatred._

_Nadine nodded back but looked away in a second. She was all too eager to put this behind her, and it would have to start with cutting the familial ties as much as she could._

_The only thing she heard were the tires and the engine of the vehicle roaring to life, and soon the screeching of gravel and dirt flew up into the air as more men gathered and waved him goodbye._

_She stood once his vehicle was far out of sight, and she finished the last bits of her coffee and made her way over to the rest of the men._

_Small understanding nods were exchanged once they greeted her, and she crossed her arms over her chest, looking down at the new black watch her father had once owned and left with her as a parting gift._

_She wanted to take it off and throw it into the dirt, smashing it to pieces, but it was the last memory of her father she had, and Nadine wasn’t one to write off family entirely…like it or not, she knew he was her father, no matter how much of a monster he was._

_Bradley’s bruised and banged up face soon was in front of hers, blocking out the rest of the trees and woods on the other side of the fence that surrounded the training camp._

_“Hey, I owe you an apology.”_

_Nadine sighed and held up a hand._

_“No need, I’d rather not talk about it.”_

_A few other men listened in and soon had their words to say to her as they followed her when she walked up towards the hill. Most of them apologized, sympathized, and tried comforting her, but she knew she didn't need their words, as nothing they could say or do would change the past. It would offer small comfort for a temporary basis, and Nadine was already looking into the future and planning for long-term._

_“We’ll try to act as a team from now on, don’t worry…”_

_“Yeah, I’m done screwin’ around.” Another chimed in as Nadine reached the very top and breathed deeply._

_She looked down and studied the rest of the training facility, the camp, and turned behind her to observe the sea and rocking waves._

_It seemed as if life would still go on, no matter what had happened, or how many lives were snuffed out. The best thing to do was grieve in silence, then be strong, and be a leader._

_She knew her father would recite the very same words to her, so she pushed her hair back with both hands and tied her hair back in a tight ponytail while the rest of the men around her watched and waited._

_Bradley gazed at her silently for a moment, opening and closing his mouth several times, a confused expression etched on his face._

_“What do we do now, Ma’am?”_

_Nadine’s thoughts were divided in several parts, but she heard the whispers and questions of the rest of the men following Bradley’s line of inquiry._

_She looked ahead at the fields and obstacle courses, taking in the still muddy deep trenches, the running tracks, and everything else that held a memory was soon abandoned…_


	16. The Way You Feel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: Sexual content, but it is mild!!*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooh booooyyyyy. It's been a while, darlings!!! (⋟﹏⋞)
> 
> So where have I been? A lot happened in my life (not that many care-y'all are truly here for Sam and Nadine, which is what you WILL get, and if you want to read that instead of my news, by all means skip ahead :) )  
> I got engaged, first off, got terribly sick for months (yikes), and just was looking for jobs, honestly. I also got wrapped up and swept up in the Detroit Become Human video fandom (I wrote like 5 fics there-check them out if you want). 
> 
> I know that's NOT an excuse for keeping everyone eagerly waiting for this fic and I DO apologize :( :'( 
> 
> But I am back now, and this fic will be finished by the end of Spring, by my estimates, because I am planning on retiring from A03. It's been a GREAT run for me, but I am soooooo burnt out from writing, to tell you all the honest truth lol
> 
> Writing is a touuughhh job, but I made so many wonderful friends on this website that it was worth it. I'd do it all over again if it meant I got to chat with the wonderful people throughout my comments section :)
> 
> Anyway guys, enjoy :) !
> 
> Happy Reading!

 

Nadine checked Sam’s wounds once she was absolutely certain the man was fast asleep. She could see his bound chest rising and falling, and the sight of his pale, sickly skin disturbed her enough to cover it with a few sheets she’d found in one of the other old bunkers right beside the one they were trapped in for the time being.

The stench of the warm earth all around them was growing intolerable for Nadine, as it constantly sent off reminders and warning bells in her mind about their escape.

Would they ever get out of this mess?

Was anyone even looking for them anymore?

She frowned at herself for even entertaining such a dark thought. How could she feel or imagine that her partners and friends would abandon her like that? Especially Chloe and Sully?

There was no way.

She had to be strong, and she tossed her current mindset off to the fact that she’d reminded herself of her father’s constant abuse and betrayal after she’d intimated the story and experience to Sam Drake.

As much as Nadine hated herself for being so weak and small enough to still feel affected by her father’s behavior and actions, she had been feeling a little grateful and liberated, too.

Many years had passed as she’d tried repressing and burying her father’s sins and crimes within herself. She’d been the tower he’d thrown them all in; ever crime, ever misdemeanor, every lie, every dark secret. He’d locked it all away and gave her the key to store away forever. She didn’t mind carrying that burden at first for many years, especially considering how no one had dared to really come close enough to her to either find friendship or romance with her.

Nadine Ross wasn’t a woman for the comforts of romance or friendship, and it had suited her just fine to live her adult life that way until she’d started working closely with Samuel Drake…

The man had brought out all her discomfort, anxiety, flaws, weaknesses, and passions at the same time. He’d simply liberated her to the point where she was openly engaging him in a conversation about her youth. She’d never relayed the experiences she’d shared with her father with Chloe or Sully, and that really shook her to her core.

What was it about Sam Drake that brought out these weaknesses and vulnerabilities in her?

She was _Nadine Ross!_ She was a powerful, dominant, strong, confident, brazen woman!

She didn’t need to sit around and mope or talk about her ‘feelings’! She needed to get out there and kick Frau Lina’s ass right now! They were just wasting time in this hovel beneath the ground, and the moment Sam had enough energy to walk around on his own without needing to lean on her for support, Nadine was getting them out of here.

She’d made up her mind, and she began looking around the bunkers for any bits of food; even if it was years old and in a can.

Anything would do, she thought, and she searched through the rooms along the dimly lit halls. She’d searched for well over an hour and found nothing. Nadine felt her anger and frustrations increasing, but Sam didn’t need her to give up; he needed help.

Items flew about the rooms as Nadine searched one more time, her dark, exhausted eyes raking every inch of the room as she felt her nerves raw within her body.

Water dripped from the ceilings and walls of the burnt, dilapidated room she was in. It didn’t annoy her at first, but as she bent beneath a desk while trying to search through its drawers, a groaning sound was heard above. She gazed up at the ceiling, holding up a hand when she saw it caving down slightly.

Oh no…

The water droplets hit her in the eyes, and it made her anger rise. Suddenly, the ceiling completely caved in. A heavy waterfall practically burst forth, flooding down over Nadine and drenching her completely in its coldness.

Nadine yelped as she yanked the drawer open. Something shuffled inside it, and she wiped her eyes while blinking quickly. She tried getting the water away from her vision, and she had a hard time as the water drained entirely over her.

It seemed as if nature really wasn’t on her side today, and she cursed Sam Drake in the back of her mind as she shoved her head practically inside the damn drawer that was now as wet as she was.

The wood smelled foul, and her fingers searched the darkness of it as she finally made contact with an object…

Nadine yanked it out from the drawer quickly as she retreated from beneath the waterfall that was raining down on her head. She scrambled out of the room, flinging herself against the dark-mud-covered walls as she held the object in her hands.

She trembled and shook from the cold, but was able to ignore her soaked clothing sticking tightly to her body as a wide grin broke out on her face.

It was a small box of cornflakes. She shook it back and forth, hoping that it was still edible as she raced back to where she’d left Sam to rest. Her footsteps sank into the mud beneath her feet, but she ignored it all as she finally caught sight of the bunker he was in.

She swept her way inside it, flinging herself down to his side as she gently held an ear above his open mouth. She paused until she felt warm air hitting her ear. Nadine mentally cheered. Sam was still alive, but he was probably very weak.

Nadine’s fingers slipped a few times as she hurriedly tore open the small cornflakes box. She almost dropped it a few times, but was finally able to gain control over her motor functions as she poured over a small portion into the palm of her wet hand.

The water there soaked the cornflakes a little, effectively turning them soft as she held them over her own nose first. Her tongue darted out when she didn’t smell anything ‘off’ about them, and she tested them with her taste buds slowly.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary; they were just soaked grains.

She decided they were edible, and she gently held Sam’s lower jaw in her other hand while she pressed the hand holding the cornflakes over his open mouth.

Leaning forward closer to him, she whispered: “Sam! It’s okay! I found food!!”

Nadine didn’t care if he heard her or not; she kept talking to him as she shook her hand with the cornflakes over his lips. She hoped it would rouse him, but his eyelids stayed shut as she pressed a few of the cornflakes against his lips.

“Sam! You need to eat something!”

His chest was rising and falling, and he suddenly opened one eye half-way as he looked down at her hand by his lips.

Sam wheezed out a pained breath, but Nadine pressed the cornflakes directly into his mouth the moment his jaw dropped open more.

“Shh,” she cooed as she pressed his jaw closed slowly, encouraging him to chew as she shook the box again and poured out into her palm the same amount as the first time.

Nadine kept her eyes on Sam as she watched him frown, close his eyes, turn his head away, and grunt.

“No!” she pressed a hand against his cheeks and jaw, “you need to eat it!”

She didn’t care if it tasted bad; he needed to eat it all. Nadine gathered her patience, and one-by-one, she refilled and emptied her palm with the flakes until not a single one was left for Sam to eat anymore.

The man chewed them slowly, and Nadine was certain he was gaining some of his warmth and energy back when he lifted a hand and pressed it gently against her own once she’d felt his forehead for signs of improvement.

He certainly was warm, and he thankfully wasn’t running a fever.

Nadine sighed in relief once all the flakes were gone, and she readjusted the sheets around Sam’s body until he was more comfortable. His eyes were closed as he coughed a few times, and Nadine worried he was going to vomit the food back up.

She froze as she stared at him, studying him carefully as he ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth. The pink tongue darted over his lips, and to Nadine’s relief, he was wetting his lips as he breathed in through his mouth sharply and deeply.

“Nadine…”

She eagerly leaned in close to him, “Yes? Sam??”

He paused as he opened both eyes slightly, “That tasted like shit…”

She frowned as she swatted him in the non-injured shoulder, “You bastard!”

How ungrateful of him!

Sam chuckled and coughed as he opened his eyes a little wider this time, “No, all jokes aside,” he paused as he leaned his neck up a little so he could see her better, “I’m grateful.”

She rolled her eyes, “Somehow, I’m doubtful of that.”

He snickered as he winked at her, “Well, I can understand that, seein’ as we once were on opposite sides of the treasure-hunting game…”

“And now we’re on the same team.”

He nodded, “We are.”

She glanced down quickly at the sheets around him. Something about the equally vulnerable side of Sam Drake made her nervous, so she did what she often would do whenever she was uncomfortable: Avoid.

“Are you warm?”

He gave a half-shrug, “I should be asking you that, Miss Ross.”

She raised an inquisitive eyebrow, “Why?”

Sam looked up at her, expression portraying bewilderment, “You’re the one who’s soaked all over; not me.”

How could she have forgotten?!

Sam seemed to have the answer to the question she’d never asked out loud. He shifted as he sat up, the sheet wrapping around his shoulders and chest as she hurried to cover his naked upper torso for him.

He nodded at her, “Thanks,” he smirked playfully at her, “it seems like you’re takin’ too much care of me, Miss Ross,” he eyed her soaked, dripping hair as it hung down flatly to her shoulders, “forgot about who’s gonna care for you?”

Her hands flew up to her hair, and she yanked the long, flat strands. She shivered as she shook the wetness off her head, moving her head from side-to-side like a dog. Some of the water droplets sprayed Sam, and he growled as he held up a hand and shielded his face from the assault of the water.

“Hey!!”

She let out a playful giggle, no longer caring how silly she looked as her straight, wet hair dripped with less water.

“Serves you right,” she gave him a sly grin which he didn’t appreciate, clearly. He merely turned to the side as he looked at the dying fire in the center of the room.

He pointed at it, “I should get more things for keepin’ it alive for another night…”

Nadine looked worried, and she bit her lower lip as her eyes grew wide, “Do you think it’ll take another night for you to…”

Sam immediately glanced over at her. Nadine choked on the sentence as she mentally cursed at herself. They both knew what she’d meant to say, and while Nadine was ashamed of herself for even thinking of asking it, Sam looked down at the firepit as he frowned.

“Didn’t know I was holding you back and slowing you down that much, Miss Ross.”

Nadine shook her head as she placed a hand on his arm, “Sam, I-”

He shrugged, trying to appear that he wasn’t hurt, but she knew he was. He cleared his throat as he shoved her hand off his own. The air around them grew uncomfortable, and Nadine hung her head down as she glared at her lap. She’d been the cause of this, yet this time, she hadn’t meant to cause it…

“It’s alright,” he sighed and pretended to yawn as he rolled his neck from side-to-side. It cracked lightly, and he groaned in relief. “I’m a big boy, I can handle it,” he avoided her eyes as he cast a shy smile over at her legs.

She really hadn’t meant to imply anything about Sam Drake slowing her down or giving her trouble. She thought that after all the experiences she’d shared with him, he’d not be the one to take her in the wrong way and misunderstand her at all…

She heard Sam shift, and the sheets around him rustled a little. It was slightly symbolic of her happy mood falling and rustling off her heart as she glared over at Sam. He was trying to stand up, and he wasn’t asking her to help or support him.

Fine.

She watched him press his weight on one knee, and the palm of his right hand came down to rest on the floor of the bunker as he rose up on his other knee. He stretched himself out as he curled his back and straightened up. It took him well over a few minutes, and Nadine realized she hadn’t blinked when he rose to his full height above her.

Sam Drake had already been a very tall man, and as Nadine sat on the floor glaring up at him, it seemed as if he was even taller when he peered down at her with his head slightly tilted. He looked less sickly and pale, but he was definitely hurt and disappointed.

His eyebrows were set in low lines as he cleared his throat again and straightened himself upwards even more.

Nadine nearly gasped when she saw Sam’s abdominal muscles flexing. She’d never noticed he’d almost had a well-defined six pack, and something about that bothered her. His ribs were slightly prominent, but it didn’t bother her. It was a healthy sign more than him being malnourished; he had a strong skeletal system.

She preferred a man who had less of a stomach as opposed to having even the smallest bit of fat around his gut, and the sight of Sam’s physique was impressive. Despite being hurt and in pain, he still had well-defined muscles that wove their way around his bones magnificently.

She’d always thought that he was too thin and lanky, but she noticed that he’d always hid his body beneath clothing that was a tad too loose for him. She’d no idea how fit and in-shape he was up until now…

Nadine suddenly realized she was staring and studying Sam’s physical features for so long that he had found it odd, himself. He frowned at her, a few words he’d been meaning to utter dying down halfway out of his mouth.

She snapped out of it as he snorted and rolled his eyes, “I won’t be too far,” he took a careful step forward towards the door, “that is, _if_ you need me…”

Nadine didn’t want to think of the implications of that one word he’d strongly and strangely emphasized, and she looked down bashfully as she nodded.

She didn’t look up again until she was sure he was gone.

It shocked her to come to terms with one recently discovered fact:

She found Samuel Drake pleasant to look at.

“~~~~~~~~~”

Nadine knew Sam wasn’t too far away from her as he shuffled about on the other side of the bunker walls. She didn’t care what he was doing or what he was looking for as he rustled through bits of broken furniture and other items. As long as he left her alone to think to herself, she was happy.

As time worn on, the sounds he made as he searched and walked about faded in the back of her mind as she tried keeping their fire alive.

Nadine’s hair was still terribly wet, even though she moved around in an attempt at keeping warm. While her clothes had somewhat dried off, her hair was stubbornly still dripping with water drops.

She looked up and realized that water was leaking down from the ceiling constantly. It kept her company while she scolded herself and disciplined herself for being so careless and senseless when it came to Sam Drake.

She didn’t understand why she had exactly thought of him as ‘attractive’ or pleasant to look at. Nadine knew it wasn’t smart to deny that she felt and thought that way, however, but she didn’t know how to exactly handle and deal with those thoughts.

It wasn’t often that she thought about a man in this way, and it troubled her to start now. Asav had been more of a means-to-an-end, and she’d done whatever she could to gain his trust and learn whatever she could from him.

Her relationship with Rafe Adler had also been similar, and thankfully nothing that serious. Nadine had used these men to her own advantage and never wanted them to lay a single finger on her head once she was done with them. It even troubled her thinking about them now, and she peeked over the toppled down furniture of the room as she pushed past the sheets Sam had been lying under.

While she moved about, not really searching for anything in particular, she tried to understand herself. This was the first time in her life she’d actually gone and confused herself. She’d always been sure of her choices, her actions, her words, and yet…now?

She didn’t know what she was doing or thinking anymore.

Nadine stared at the busted hole in the wall they’d all made together when they located the old safe and its hidden container. She prayed that Sully, Cutter, and Chloe had gotten a hold of it again as she looked up once at the ceiling.

Dust caked around her as she pushed past chairs and cabinets, the floor around her screeching and groaning in response. Even now, she wasn’t sure what she was doing, but she thought that she was subconsciously trying to make as much noise as Sam once had when he was searching for items to place in their fire.

He didn’t seem to make more noises now, and it troubled her as she had her back to the doorway. She also expected him to waltz back in the room looking perfectly fine, but she was left all by herself as she looked down at her nails and studied them.

They were bloodied and broken, but it didn’t hurt her like it used to. She found that her conscience was more in pain than anything physical she had going on. This pissed her off.

Nadine could handle harsh beatings from here till tomorrow. She could even take a gunshot wound. These were nothing and always had physical cures, but the matters of the heart and feelings?

A whole different story, and she much preferred not getting involved in that game.

She’d never ‘done’ relationships or felt interested in pursing any man aside from Asav. She’d never had time for love or romance in her life, and while Nadine felt it wasn’t an entirely big loss on her part, she knew she sometimes had looked over at Chloe and Cutter with less than happiness in her eyes; she’d envied them.

Having no idea why she’d envied them at the time, Nadine had abandoned the thought of it as she put all her energy and concentration on finding and tracking down Frau Lina’s next moves. Missions and her goals had often kept these thoughts and feelings at bay, but now that she’d been dealt a fate of being imprisoned and confined to an area with a man she certainly _was_ attracted to, she knew she couldn’t avoid her thoughts and feelings for much longer than she’d tried.

Nothing felt ‘uncomfortable’ as she thought about it, but it also wasn’t a welcoming thought. She’d never had a romantic relationship or pursuit. Sure, men had approached her, flirted with her, tried toying with her. Unfortunately or fortunately, due to how her father had raised her, most men were frightened away from her before she had even a chance to get to know them on a friendlier level.

Nadine wasn’t entirely ungrateful for it, however; she just didn’t care for the petty drama that came with a relationship. She knew that no one was perfect, but she held her own high expectations of those she worked with, and she’d even caught herself upset with Chloe more than a few times for simple 'letting her down'.

Now, if she had done that with a romantic partner?

Entirely different thing altogether, and she didn’t want to put up with heartaches and frustrations more than she already had.

Regardless, she wasn’t opposed to using her feminine charms if it got her somewhere. Where that had once worked in the past and gave her enough enjoyment and satisfaction with winning a case or battle, Nadine didn’t care about that now as her thoughts once again were focusing and shifting on Sam Drake.

She didn’t want to avoid him and run from him as she had Asav and Rafe.

Admitting that to herself was good enough for the time being, even though it made a small part of her feel a tad sick.

Perhaps she needed more rest and sleep…

Something suddenly caught her eye as she stared up at the top of a shelf hanging above a worn-out typewriter in the corner of the room. It gleamed at her, beckoning her sweetly over to come check it out.

Dropping ideas around Sam for the time being, Nadine stood on her toes as she craned her neck up to look at the item sitting on the shelf. It was buried between two old, dusty books, but Nadine knew what it was the moment she saw it:

It was an old hunting knife.

But this wasn’t any regular knife: it had been used by the Nazis. The Swastika symbol and well-known skull and bone emblem was almost impossible to miss.

Nadine wanted it.

If they got out of this mess with nothing, she was very sure she could make a good amount of dough if she sold the special trinket, at least…

She gasped as she reached for it, her left foot hanging in the air as she leaned up with her weight on her right leg. She pressed against the desk supporting the typewriter, pushing it against the wall firmly. Her muscles and bones ached as she strained her body to grab at the knife, but she had often pushed herself beyond her body’s limits as she grunted and heaved upwards.

She didn’t want to stand on the desk, unsure of how much weight it could take before it came hurtling down to the rough ground. This would have to do for the time being, and it annoyed her as she swiped at the knife with her fingers, only to have one of the books crashing down over instead before the second one fell, too.

They grazed her fingertips slightly, and she hissed at them, as if that would make them get out of her way. She shook her head, feeling her wet, straight hair coiling down her shoulders and back, and she shivered as she reached harder for the knife.

She would have it soon…

“Nadine? What’re you doing?!”

She screamed once Sam’s voice broke into the air. It scared the shit out of her, causing her to leap up once. She wrapped her hand around the blade of the knife instead of its handle, and she sliced the palm of her hand clean across it when she collided with the edge of the old desk.

It groaned and gave way, suddenly. It crashed down at Nadine’s feet, but she jumped backwards as she moved away from the desk in time. It all came down in many wooden heaps, the typewriter the last to go as it fell to the ground with a loud: CLAAAANGG!!!

The rest of the books clattered on the old shelf, but nothing else up there broke or fell apart as she held her cut-open hand up to her eyes for inspection.

She whipped around and glared at Sam darkly, “YOU FOOL!”

Tears were stinging her eyes. Nadine thought it had just been dirt getting caught between her eyelashes as she blinked quickly, at first, but then there was no denying the obvious feeling of her emotions swelling and bubbling up from her chest to her eyes as she shook in anger.

Her rage made Sam frown a bit, but when he looked at her bloodied hand, concern and worry was impossible to mistake on his face.

He crossed the room over to her quickly, bending down to rip off a bit of the sheets as he held it up and carefully reached for her hand.

Nadine shook her head as she pressed her hurt and bloodied hand against her chest, protecting it and shielding it away from Sam as she glared into his eyes dangerously, “Don’t touch me or come near me!!”

Her shrieks were horrifying to listen to, and Sam cringed as he held up the torn parchment and gingerly approached her, “Please, Nadine,” he pleaded gently and softly as he looked down at her hand, “I wanna help you…that looks pretty bad…”

She spat, “I don’t give a shit,” she took a quick step back, “you better consider this your final warning before I kick you in the teeth!”

Sam shrugged, “You can threaten me all you want, Miss Ross,” he reached for her hand, “but at least kick my ass _after_ you’ve stopped bleeding, okay?”

He dove forward and grabbed her hand. Nadine screamed more in anger and fright than pain, and the moment their hands touched, her flesh burned. She hissed through her teeth as horrific, throbbing flashes of red pain flew up and down her hand. Sam was careful with her, taking his time to gently check if the wound and cloth was clean before he wrapped it around her hand carefully.

He was wise enough not to make the knot too tight, but tight enough to put a hold on the bleeding as he inspected her hand by rolling it over in both his own.

Nadine stared down at her hand in his, and she nearly cried out in shock when she noticed how large and dangerous his seemed to be in comparison to hers…

Sure, she herself had used both her own hands to snuff out the lives of many people in her time. But she had never been faced with a man’s hands looking so rough and masculine against her own…even their skin complexion and difference was fascinating to her, even though Sam’s skin was more pink now that he was on the road to slow recovery.

He didn’t seem to be in pain as he studied her hand cautiously, his eyes eventually looking up at her own.

Nadine felt the hot tears spilling, and she sniffled loudly.

The sound was terrifying to her own ears, and her brain suddenly alerted her to the fact that she had been standing right before Samuel Drake while sobbing for the first time since her father…

Her father…

Rage and fury filled her, suddenly, and she reached over with her non-injured hand and slapped Sam hard across the face.

Nadine knew that slap had been meant for her father; not Sam. But he didn’t know it.

The moment her hand collided with the skin on his cheek, he took a step back as his jaw dropped. His eyes were wider this time, and not filled with concern….

Nadine refused to meet his eyes as she shoved him hard in the bare chest, “LEAVE ME ALONE!!!”

Once again, she wished her father had been right before her instead of Sam, so he could hear the words she was currently speaking to him.

It pained her more than the wound in the palm of her hand that the old bastard that had tormented her for years after he had gone. She needed him now more than ever, and he was gone…

He hadn’t been a decent father to her, _ever_. Lying or denying it didn’t do her any good, and she felt the room spinning the longer she tried holding back her tears.

It was too late, and they all spilled like a river that was overflowing. It was as if all the floodgates had been opened, and now that she had started, she wasn’t going to stop…

Nadine fell to her knees as she held her hands against her eyes. She wailed at the top of her lungs, fully ashamed of herself and her actions. She hadn’t meant to hit Sam, but she knew she had done it anyway, now.

She fell on her side as she stretched her legs out to the side while rocking herself back and forth as she tried hiding her tears from him. She didn’t understand why she was attempting to do this when he’d already seen them spilling quickly anyway.

Why did she still need to feel tough?

She hated herself more for being so pathetic, and it made her sob louder and louder.

Nadine didn’t see or feel Sam bending down before her. She was drowning them both in the horribly loud sounds of her sobbing. They cut off abruptly once she felt two warm hands wrapping around her shoulders and back…

Nadine hiccupped as she removed her hands from her eyes and snapped her head up at Sam. He was pressed against her neck and shoulder, his chin digging into the space between where her neck connected into her shoulder as he held her tightly to his chest.

Her hot tears hit his warm flesh, and she pushed against his chest, “Nooo…”

“Shhh,” he rubbed her back soothingly, “it’s okay.”

Nadine shook her head as she tried shoving him off her one more time, but it didn’t work. As much as she didn’t want someone holding her like this, she knew it was the best thing for her. She needed to be close to someone.

Doing what was natural, now, she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck as she held onto him even more tightly than he was hanging onto her. Their chests were pressed firmly against each other, but it didn’t bother or trouble Nadine as she sobbed against Sam’s ear.

A part of her worried she was disturbing his hearing, though Sam didn’t seem to display signs of it. He merely let her sob until she had no more tears left.

They still kept raining down slowly, however, but Nadine knew she couldn’t wail like a lost child longer than she already had. Her throat was beyond raw and sore, and all she could do was sniffle as she shook in Sam’s arms.

Their bones and muscles hit and rubbed against each other’s for a while before Nadine closed her eyes and sniffled softly. She felt Sam removing his chin from her shoulder as he pulled away slightly, and she felt that large, warm hand resting on the back of her wet hair.

He cradled her head with such tenderness and gentleness that she started crying again just from the feeling of it.

Why was he so gentle?

He was Sam Drake!

He shouldn’t have been touching her with such caution and tenderness as if she were a fine porcelain doll that would break from the slightest bit of pressure…

Perhaps this was how Chloe felt when Cutter held her…

Maybe this was what she had been missing out on all her life…

Nadine felt Sam’s hand massaging the back of her head, his fingers gently weaving their way down to rub the tension from the back of her neck, there. She had no idea her muscles had been that sore, and it was an odd, sad reminder to how much she had repressed all these years.

She had taken so many beatings and feelings of pain and sorrow, and for what?

Why had she allowed that to happen to herself when she could have had _this_?

She tilted her head back as she looked up into Sam’s eyes. They were directly looking into her own, and there was an energy floating in their depths that Nadine didn’t know of. She’d never felt or experienced something like this before, so she was unsure of what it was.

Regardless, whatever emotion Sam had emanating and glowing from his eyes definitely was keeping her warm, now. Her fingers and toes still felt moderately cold, but the heat had slowly started spreading from the pit of her stomach…

It was unmistakable and undeniable now, and all she felt she could do was enjoy how the warmth was set ablaze from the bottom of her stomach and slowly moved upwards to her chest. It sat there for a while before flying to her arms and fingertips, where she slowly started feeling them heat up…

Sam must have apparently been experiencing an almost-similar feeling, for his fingers practically burned with a warmth akin to the one moving up and down Nadine’s spine as she fought hard not to blink. She didn’t want to miss anything his eyes showed her…

Then, as she had been staring into his eyes, Sam closed them quickly when he leaned his forehead against her own and stroked her cheek. Nadine barely had time to enjoy his light caresses there upon her cheek when his lips captured her own.

She thought she’d imagined it all, but when Sam’s lips softly moved above her own, she knew this was all real. Nadine froze for a moment, her hands and fingers loosening their grip on Sam’s shoulders.

Sam didn’t stop as he reached up with both hands and cupped her cheeks softly. His thumbs stroked her cheekbones before his left hand moved over to play with a long, wet hair strand…

When he moved it, the light sensations it created from the root of her hair to her scalp made Nadine dizzy. She felt delight and rapture, and before she could control herself, she hooked her fingers tightly into Sam’s shoulders and began returning the kiss with growing passion and emotion.

She let everything swell and brim up from her neck up to the top, and it poured out of her and enabled her to take over the kiss.

Sam reciprocated once he felt her lips eagerly moving over his own, and he gently pushed her wet hair back as he moved a hand down to the middle of her back and rested it there. Nadine leaned against its comfort before Sam gently pulled her close and turned her over…

Nadine felt her back resting on the warm sheets that had been protecting and covering Sam earlier, and in the light of little fire they’d built practically stopped providing, she saw Sam’s eyes peering into her own before he gently got on top of her.

Feeling upset that they had to break the kiss so they could get in this comfortable position, Nadine leaned up and grabbed the back of Sam’s neck. She pulled him down to meet her hungry lips, and they both sighed and moaned into the deeper kiss.

The room had once smelled of old wood, water, soil, and smoke. But now, it smelled like Sam, and Nadine loved the scent. The older Drake brother smelled of fresh pine, a dash of cinnamon, as well as an earthy smell. She absolutely was growing crazy over it, and she allowed all her other senses to be lit up as she felt Sam carefully maneuvering himself above her, careful not to crush her beneath his weight.

Their hands and fingers sought each other out, and Sam was careful not to apply too much pressure to her injured hand as he held it above her head. His fingers intertwined with hers, and soon, Nadine felt Sam’s tongue sliding forth and touching her lower lip.

She knew what he wanted, as it was the same thing she desired badly. As she relished in the sensations of the well-defined muscles and bones of Sam Drake above her, Nadine felt her head almost spinning and exploding once Sam delivered a light nip at her lower lip.

She gasped and moaned against his lips, and he eagerly took advantage of that opportunity to slide his warm, wet tongue inside her mouth.

Nadine hadn’t been properly kissed in a long time, and she lost herself once Sam’s tongue gently slid against her own before retreating back to her lower lip.

Where Rafe Adler had practically choked her with his tongue, Sam took his time with it. He worshipped both her lower and upper lip, simply tracing their shape with just a small touch of the tip of his tongue before he ghosted his tongue over the center of her lips.

His lips then lightly peppered hers before they moved over to the right corner of her lips. He delivered butterfly kisses all over her jaw, taking his time to move to her ear before he gently kissed her earlobe.

Nadine was a mess beneath him. She had wrapped her legs around his waist and was arching up off the floor against him. She tried to stop moaning and writhing against him desperately, but it was impossible to do when he moved his light, feathery kisses over her jaw and onto her chin. He even took time to kiss beneath it, barely gliding his lips over the top of her neck.

She was going crazy.

She begged him to place his lips on hers by nuzzling the top of his head with her chin, but he ignored her as he kissed his way lightly over to her left ear, giving it the same amount of care and attention as he had the right one.

Nadine’s toes felt warm, now, and she curled them in her boots as she tugged down on Sam’s lower half with her legs.

This woke something up in Sam, suddenly, and he pulled back from delivering open-mouthed kisses to her neck.

Nadine whined in impatience, but Sam kissed her softly once on the lips as he unzipped her pants and tugged them down slowly.

She helped him with this as she lowered herself back down on the floor and raised her hips eagerly. Sam pushed her pants down to the middle of her thighs, exposing her dark underwear.

Everything else around them was dark, and Nadine didn’t care how silly she looked wearing black panties. Whatever Sam was doing to her was sexy enough, and it was perfect.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as she felt him sensually kiss and lick at her skin there before nibbling on her collarbone.

Nadine didn’t want him to stop at all, and she ran her fingers through his hair as she lost herself again in the sensations of feeling crazy in her lust. Perhaps she would end up regretting this later, but she didn’t give a shit for now.

She allowed him to run a palm over the center of her panties, and she definitely knew they were beyond damp when she felt the warmth of his hand sticking to her flesh…

Nadine heard herself emit the most concupiscent, sexually-charged noise ever, and her cheeks lit on fire in embarrassment. Sam was silent above her, focusing on rubbing her between her legs as he sucked on her neck.

When would he take her clothes off???

She was growing impatient, and she pushed her hips up against his hand in a silent plea. He seemed to take the hint, and as Nadine watched through half-lidded eyes, Sam finally snuck his hand beneath the band of her panties.

He just touched her on top of her mound there, and she fell apart. Her head slammed down against the ground, and she bit down on her tongue and lower lip in frustration. She was going to come apart within moments, and it hadn’t even begun, yet…

Sam’s fingers moved to part her flesh, and she involuntarily found her legs opening before him to give him better access. He kissed her deeply as he moved his body to the side slightly, adding more pleasurable pressure to her heated skin there.

He allowed his fingers to dance back up to her hipbones, simply enjoying how they felt in his grip. He grabbed at her bones there gently, but firmly. Nadine was panting beneath him, and she almost sobbed at the frustrations he was creating for her. She hated how calm and gentle he was above her, while she was a panting, writhing, moaning mess! He simply was taking his time to observe her carefully and intently, never taking his eyes off her...

This was foreplay she’d never imagined herself ever having, and it was an absolute tease…

No…

It was _torture!_

She bit Sam’s lower lip in a slight warning, and he groaned deeply against her lips when he finally moved his hand back down to cup the peak of her sexuality…

Nadine was more sensitive there than she thought, and she buckled against him, her hips jutting forward uncontrollably.

She pressed an impatient hand down on the top of Sam’s arm between her legs, begging silently as she whimpered in frustration.

Sam finally thought she’d apparently had enough of the teasing, and she felt two of his fingers resting carefully against her opening…

They circled it a few times, creating small bursts of pleasure and energy throughout her body, and just when she was sure he was about to enter, the ceiling shook above their heads.

Dust snowed down around them, and Nadine and Sam broke apart quickly when they heard muffled voices crying out.

Nadine hurried to pull her pants and panties up when her ears told her that someone was definitely coming, and Sam jumped up, quickly looking around the room for a weapon or item to protect them both with.

The voices were many, and it made Nadine’s heart race as she finally stood up and joined Sam at his side, raising her clenched fists. She had nothing else, but she wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

They stood together, poised and ready for a battle, and Nadine looked up to see Sam holding the Swastika and Skull Knife.

Quick movement at the doorway was enough to let them know that now was the time to act, and as a dark shadow hovered in the doorway, Nadine turned and grabbed an old can of expired food. She whipped it as hard as she could at the dark, round head before her.

A ‘thud’ was heard, and then a loud: “BLOODY HELL!”

Nadine and Sam recognized that voice immediately.

They both yelled out: “CUTTER!”

As their eyes adjusted to their flashlights, they were both relieved to see Chloe and Sully following closely behind Charlie Cutter.

The man was rubbing his forehead with a hand as he glared at Nadine.

“Charlie!” Chloe ran ahead and inspected his forehead before turning to face Sam and Nadine. She squealed as she threw her arms around them and hugged them both tightly to her chest while screaming out: “SULLY! I knew they were here!!”

Victor Sullivan walked slowly up to them, a relieved expression on his face as he sighed out in happiness, “Oh thank god! You two had us worried sick!!”

Cutter grumbled, “I wasn’t worried.”

Ignoring the formalities, Sam and Nadine cried out in unison: “Did you find the disc or the container?!”

Cutter frowned as he gaped at them, “Twins?”

Nadine shoved past him as she gently held onto Sully’s shirt, “Victor,” she leaned close to him as she stared at him with serious eyes, “where is the container?”

Sully’s eyes were flooded with a sadness he initially tried hard to hide, but he knew he couldn’t hide from Nadine Ross. He shifted his feet as he scratched the back of his head.

“Bad news, kiddo,” he exhaled loudly as he stared at Nadine with tired eyes, “it’s gone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if the sexual content came out of nowhere, but I think (as the author) after almost over 70K words, it was time to move their relationship forward (Chloe and Cutter probably already have banged multiple times by now -_- )  
> But if you're upset, look on the bright side:
> 
> They still didn't have sex ;P  
> ...  
> ...yet...


	17. Opposing Sides of One Board

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: Mild sexual content again!*

It had taken Nadine well over two showers to get all the mud, dirt, and grime completely off her body and out of her ears. The more she scrubbed beneath the hot water, the more it apparently chose to linger on her, stubborn as ever. Eventually, she resembled herself again when she looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror after her second shower.

She didn’t appear much ‘different’ currently; just tired. The moment they’d returned from their rescue, Nadine and Sam had quietly showered and cleaned up while Cutter, Chloe, and Sully hung out around their cabin.

Nadine’s wound luckily hadn’t needed stitches, but Sam’s did. Sully and Cutter had spent an entire night patching him up, and according to Chloe, it had gone over well, considering how it wasn’t as fatal as they all thought.

All was quiet for the most part, and it seemed as if the rest of their team picked up on a hint that something was ‘off’ about Nadine and Sam…

And something indeed _was_ definitely off…

Since they’d returned to their cabin, Sam mostly remained in his own room with the door closed the entire time. He refused to come out to eat, and Chloe had to eventually bring his meals up to him. He would often wait until she had disappeared back down on the main floor before he snatched the food inside to consume it.

Sully offered to check on the progress of his wound healing, but Sam wouldn’t even let his ‘step-father’ figure even come close. He’d merely grunted to Sully that he was ‘fine’ each time the older man asked.

This odd behavior disturbed Nadine, and she soon felt like it was all her fault.

She’d clearly forced Sam Drake to somehow overstep his boundaries and console her in a way he probably never would have in a million years if his life depended on it.

As much as what had happened between them had been nothing short of arousing, Nadine knew there was still a lot of ‘history’ between herself and Samuel Drake. She wasn’t sure how long it would take for it to develop into ‘positive’ and good history, but she still couldn’t help but feel a little resentful every time she thought about Sam.

She knew she liked him and enjoyed being around him, but there were still old grudges lingering around on both sides, and Nadine didn’t want to forcefully push them away out of a fear of disingenuous actions or thoughts forming.

If Nadine Ross was ever going to develop a friendship-or perhaps more-with Samuel Drake, she knew it couldn’t be pushed or forced. They would either seek each other’s company out after everything had mellowed out and stabilized, or they wouldn’t.

Worst case scenario, Nadine would politely end up leaving the little group of treasure hunters, if Sam chose to remain cold and distant.

She didn’t wish for things to ever come down to that, but she was prepared to do that if it meant the rest of her friends didn’t have to suffer through moments of her bickering and fighting through tension with Sam.

It had happened before, and Nadine was tired of it. She didn’t want to go back the way they came, and it had little to do with their sexual encounter.

As far as she was concerned, she didn’t want it happening anytime soon-if-ever. As good as he’d made her feel, it just didn’t seem ‘right’…

She didn’t know how to approach him to discuss the topic and issue, seeing as he wouldn’t ever leave his room.

A few times Nadine had approached his closed door, a hand clenched as she prepared to knock, but when she peered down at the light shedding forth from beneath the door, she thought twice about it.

A shadow had almost always been there every time she approached Sam’s door. She knew it had to be him, and she had to wonder how he knew when she was by his door every time.

He probably did it with anyone else, she figured, and eventually, she’d given up on talking to him.

Sam’s strange reclusive behavior carried on for almost six days before everyone else got used to it. A sad, depressed air had befallen around and inside the cottage, and it made the small band of treasure hunters rather exhausted and tired.

Sully decided they needed a little break on the case, but he assured everyone that due to Cutter’s previous hacking job into Frau Lina’s laptop, he was able to trace most of her movements down.

She’d apparently taken off after their little standoff in the woods, but Sully was trying to map out her erratic patterns and motions.

Everyone seemed alright with letting him do the work, and as the warmer weather blessed them all, Cutter came up with the brilliant idea of taking a dip in the small river behind a few cabins away from their own.

Nadine knew she didn’t want to go, but she didn’t announce this as she simply sat on her bed, lying down on her stomach while she gazed out her sunny window. The door to her room opened softly, and she heard soft footsteps padding in while Sully and Cutter’s laughter rang about outside.

She didn’t even regard her new visitor, “I’m not going, Frazer.”

Chloe’s smile fell, and she wrung her hands nervously as she looked down at the floor for a moment, “Why not?”

Nadine didn’t answer.

Chloe huffed as she placed her hands on her lips, “It’s a warm day, love,” she took another step closer to Nadine’s bed, “just come out for some fresh air if you want.”

“I don’t want any fresh air.”

Chloe seemed patient, which Nadine was grateful for. She knew she was being difficult, but all day her mind had been trying to piece together the cause and reason for Sam behaving so strangely. She couldn’t come up with a single good theory, however, and it had upset her as a headache grew into a migraine, practically.

As Nadine gazed at the clean window, she was able to see Chloe’s worried expression when a few geese flew by, momentarily providing a little shade against the sun that was peeking in through the half-up-half-down blinds.

“Nadine,” Chloe began gingerly as she stared at the back of the other woman’s head, “did something happen between you and Sam before we all got to you?”

Upon hearing this question, Nadine’s heart began hammering in her chest wildly. She pressed herself tightly against the mattress as she shrugged and tried keeping calm. She didn’t understand what had made Chloe ask such an odd question, but it reminded her of what she and Sam had experienced together.

Her face went pink when she remembered his large fingers hovering between her legs before he rubbed her sensitive little nub…

She repressed a shiver, “No, Frazer.”

She knew that it wasn’t wise to provide such cold, short responses, as it would more than likely make Chloe suspicious or curious.

Nadine chanced a small glance at her friend from over her shoulder, but to her relief, Chloe was staring out the window, too.

The other woman nodded as she crossed her arms over her chest, “Very well, but if you want to join us, it’s no more than a ten minute walk.”

Nadine nodded, “I’ll be sure to listen for the sounds of overgrown men screaming like children.”

Chloe snickered softly, “That’s the spirit, love.”

“I’ll have my phone with me, but try to think while you’re alone,” Chloe began backing out of her room, and she held onto the doorknob as she sighed over at Nadine, “and don’t take everything so seriously, okay love?”

“Ja.”

The door was almost closed when Chloe leaned her head in the room again and whispered to her: “And try not to pester Sam too much!!”

Nadine rolled her eyes as she motioned for Chloe to close the door.

Her friend didn’t disappoint her, and the door clicked shut softly.

Nadine waited until she heard Chloe’s footsteps descending the staircase when she got off her bed and made her way across her room and over to the bright window. The early evening sky showed her warmth, compassion, and radiance that made her happy upon simply glancing at it.

She saw trees swaying about, almost trapping each other’s branches and leaves in a hypnotic dance whenever the wind chose to accompany them.

Nadine peered down at the open space below, and she saw Cutter, Chloe, and Sully finally exiting the cottage as they made their way down a gravelly path, no doubt heading towards this ‘river’…

She still didn’t regret not joining them, even though she was sweating.

“~~~~~~~~~”

She hoped to find something on TV as she sought refuge in the cold basement of the cottage. While it wasn’t hot enough to turn on the air conditioning, Nadine definitely felt warm enough to head down into the basement quietly once she crept down the hallway past Sam’s room.

The door was still closed, and Nadine was unable to hear movement from the other side of the door as she finally made her way into the basement.

She tried not to let it disturb her, and she closed the basement door behind herself once she turned on the lights in the large, spacious room below.

It was a fancy, grand sight to see: a foosball table stood propped against the right-hand wall, while a large entertainment sent and a 75 inch flat screen HD TV was mounted on the opposite wall. Plenty of sofas and dark beanie chairs sat perched before the TV.

In the far corner close to the gaming table was a small kitchen. To the left of it was a patio door that was locked and shut, with the white blinds pulled down vertically as they swung about silently when Nadine breezed past them and sat down on a loveseat all by herself.

She snatched the TV remote from the center of the large, glass coffee table, propping her legs lazily onto it.

Nothing special was on TV, but she needed it for background noise when the fridge and other appliances stopped humming and buzzing. Nadine feared that if she allowed the silence around her to grow to the point where it could consume her whole, she would be lost in her thoughts surrounding Sam Drake again.

Not wanting that to happen, she paused her channel flipping as she landed on a random hockey game.

She hadn’t ever been one for that particular sport, but she let the announcer yammer on as she kept the volume to a medium level. She’d drowned out the announcer’s annoying voice within minutes as she dug her hands in the pockets of her grey hoodie she wore overtop of a white spaghetti strap tank top. She wore black shorts and took off her slippers when she shifted her feet from resting on the coffee table, to bending and hanging by her side as she propped up a clenched first beneath her chin and stared up at the TV with a bored expression on her face.

She never knew just how much of a ‘workaholic’ she’d been until this little ‘lull’ in their case. Nadine still swore this was going to be the last of her treasure hunting days, even though she’d had a really good time that left her heart pumping excitedly like she’d been on a rollercoaster.

Her sore bones and aching muscles simply told her that she couldn’t get away with this forever, and she had to agree with and listen to her body if she wanted to make it past the age of 45…

Her mind wandered off to thoughts of Sully, Chloe, and Cutter perhaps gossiping about her and Sam right about now…

She didn’t want to think that way about her friends, but she knew they had every right to be concerned about Sam, seeing as he was practically a son in Victor’s eyes.

She herself had only been ‘recently’ introduced, however, and Sam had kept a close eye on her ever since Belur…

It seemed as if he was always waiting for her to mess up or do something stupid so he could point at her and yell out: ‘HA! SEE! I TOLD YOU WE COULDN’T TRUST HER!’

She wasn’t under pressure or a worry of this happening, however, but she just didn’t like tip toeing around Sam Drake longer than she already had put up with it. As patient as she was, she was human, and had her limits…

Though perhaps Sam Drake was trying to get her to push past those limits and set new ones?

He certainly was a bizarre individual; constantly breaking through Nadine’s steel barriers and walls when she’d worked so hard for years on building them up to begin with…

Had it been anyone else attempting to do this, Nadine would’ve shot them right between the eyes before they had a chance to blink. She wasn’t opposed to killing her own men, even, especially when she recalled Orca betraying their partnership over a promise of a madman delivering a silly trinket to him…

She really couldn’t trust anyone, and she preferred it that way as she raised the TV remote, ready to flip through the channel.

“Don’t, I like hockey.”

The soft voice scared the hell out of her, and Nadine yelped as she flung the TV remote in the direction of whoever was in the room with her. She watched the remote fly forward as it hit Sam Drake in the chest.

Nadine brushed her hair away from her eyes as she tried adjusting to the sight of the tall Drake brother before her. She’d decided to straighten her hair today, and she was instantly regretting it. It fell flatly down by her shoulders and cheeks, but it was getting into _everything_. Anytime she moved her head even the slightest bit, her hair would come flying around to curtain her face.

She missed her bouncy, wavy curls, and decided to smash her hair straightener over Sam’s skull later, especially after this little stunt he’d pulled...

“I didn’t hear you open the door to come down here!” she hissed out at him as she curled her hands against her body, wishing she hadn’t been dressed in a pair of shorts. Considering everything that had happened between them, she felt so naked and open before him as she tried pulling her sweater to cover her cleavage and chest.

Sam looked at the swell of her breasts for a moment, shrugging nonchalantly. He too was wearing shorts, and a simple white t-shirt. He probably was warm, too, and she assumed he’d come down here to seek refuge in the cool basement…

She waited for his answer, “Well?”

Ignoring her impatience, Sam moved to sit over beside her on the black loveseat. It slightly groaned beneath their weight, and Nadine lowered her legs to the floor as she felt her cheeks turning pink when Sam joined her.

His eyes were on the hockey game, and he smiled weakly, “I guess I was walking quietly today, I’m sorry.”

She cleared her throat, trying not to appear nervous while he watched the game, “I can leave, if you want…”

Sam held out a hand when she moved to rise off the sofa, “No, you were here first…”

“I see no reason why we both can’t be here…” she stared at the ceiling, “unless one of us is uncomfortable with that?”

“I’m not.”

His answer was spoken softly, but there was no hesitation in his voice present. Nadine knew then he wasn’t lying or fabricating anything, and she chose to trust it as she sat back and watched his facial expressions.

Sam’s eyes lit up as he watched the game, and Nadine was pleased to see the minor cuts and bruises he’d received after their muddy fall had already practically healed entirely. His skin wasn’t as sickly and pale anymore, and he’d grown a slight stubble on his cheeks as he clapped for a team enthusiastically.

His behavior was a direct contrast to the way everyone had seen him acting for the past six days, and it made Nadine slightly nervous to be around him. What if he was exhibiting some mental health issue due to years of trauma suddenly breaking him down?

As she studied his excited face, she supposed that wasn’t the case at all. Sam Drake was as strong as his little brother, and there was no way a small explosion here or there could deter him and change him completely.

No…

It had to be something else…

Her mind curiously burned with questions, but Nadine tried putting a lid on it as she bit back her tongue several times before she lost control of her mouth and lips and just blurted something out.

Her eyes fell to Sam’s lips just then. She felt a bit of desire and sensuality running through her, and she shifted her eyes away from him when he turned to stare at her. He must’ve sensed she was staring at him, or something, and she mentally scolded herself as she looked up at the game with vacant eyes.

Sam sighed as he turned to her, “What’s wrong?”

“Hmm?” Nadine looked up at him as she straightened her shorts with a hand, “nothing, why do you inquire, Drake?”

Sam chuckled, clearly not believing her as he squinted at her, “We both know that’s not the case, Nadine.”

She frowned at him, “I thought you had taken it upon yourself to refer to me as ‘Miss Ross’?”

She didn’t understand why he often changed her names and how he referred to her, but it didn’t bother him as he ran his palms over his kneecaps and stared at the coffee table.

Nadine’s attention was then turned to Sam’s knees and legs. He had thick, boney kneecaps, and his legs seemed thin, but powerful. The light brown hairs there along his skin suited him perfectly, making him appear not as hairy, thankfully.

Sam sighed, “Why do you keep starin’ at me like that?”

She’d been caught, and she coughed as she fanned herself with a hand, “Shut up, Drake!” she knew it was senseless to try to hide it, but try she did.

“Why on earth would I stare at your despicable body for, Drake?!” she spat it out with as much venom as the Nadine Ross of three months ago would have made it sound, but Sam wasn’t believing this, either.

He shook his head and sighed, “Pathetic.”

This infuriated her, and she reached forward and gave him a rough shove that barely moved him half an inch. He turned and raised an eyebrow at her before he broke into a wide smile.

“Piss off, Drake,” she sat back when she knew she couldn’t get the rise out of him she’d originally wanted, “there’s nothing here between us, so you can drop the subject _now_.”

Sam hummed as he pressed an index finger on his chin while staring down at the floor, as if wrapped up in deep thought, “But if that were true, then what happened six days ago before we were rescued?”

Nadine felt herself blushing immediately, and she willed and forced herself not to think about exactly what he was referring to. She knew if she did, she would only be playing into his hand like an innocent.

She grumbled but didn’t react violently as she saw the crowd cheering in the TV, “Whatever the hell it was that happened, I don’t care for a repeat of it.”

She hoped it sounded as cold and snappy as she’d made it out to be, and it seemed like it had worked for a while. She peeked at Sam, and she noticed he was glaring down into the floor as if it had insulted him.

Good.

Nadine was happy with this, and as she tried getting comfortable in her seat, she heard him whisper something. She’d missed it the first time, but she caught his lips moving at the last minute, and her curiosity was working on overdrive.

“What did you say?”

He didn’t respond right away, instead turning to the side as he moved away from her towards the other armrest of the sofa. Nadine frowned at the distance he’d created, and she inched closer to him.

“I asked you a question, Drake!”

From what she’d faintly heard, he’d saying something along the lines of: “I liked it”, but she had to confirm it before she tricked herself into getting carried away with her feelings and emotions. Nothing good would come out of that, and she had to put a stop to it before things got serious.

He shrugged, “I said I should get to my room.”

That was an obvious, blatant lie, and they both knew it.

Nadine wanted to press him for more answers, but then there was the question of why he was behaving rather oddly…

Perhaps she could tie it back to their encounter, and she chose to carry this out.

She stared intently at him for a long time in silence until he looked over at her with fearful eyes like a child ready to be scolded for not cleaning his room.

“What?”

She frowned, “Are you hiding away constantly because of what happened between us?”

“I said I liked it.”

Ah.

She hadn’t been expecting him to be so forward and sincere. Perhaps she’d judged him too harshly after all…

A part of her hoped and wished he was toying with her, however, and she went with it as she tried remaining calm while her heart fluttered in her chest.

She reminded herself to relax, to calm down, and not to take the words of a Drake seriously…he was just going to play around with her until he’d won over his ‘conquest’, like anything else in his thieving life. She didn’t need to get confused or grow attached when he likely didn’t care about her.

Nadine shook her head as she frowned darkly at Sam, “I’m not in the mood for your bullshit, Drake, so if you would-”

He rounded on her seriously, grabbed her left thigh in a hand as he bent over her and whispered in her ear, “I really liked it as much as I like you, Nadine…”

She gasped as she dug her hand over his knuckles, trying to pry his hand off her, even though she delighted in the way his hand both warmed her up and cooled her off at the same time. She wanted him to keep his hand there where it was, but logic told her it wouldn’t turn out pleasantly for both of them.

She had to be strong, and she tore his hand off her thigh with a hiss, “I recall warning you to leave me alone and not to touch me, once…”

He gave her a smirk, “And I recall you turnin’ into one hot mess beneath me, enjoying every single one of my touches.”

Oh no…

When had he turned so…so…

!!!!

Nadine didn’t know what to do as Sam leaned in closer against her, and his warm breath finally hit her cheek as he slid his hand over her body again, this time coming to rest on her heart. It seemed to react happily to his hand there, and it began racing wildly as she breathed through her pursed lips and closed her eyes.

“Sam, don’t…”

“I’m not hurting you, am I?” he sounded sincere and genuine in his tone, and Nadine glanced over cautiously at him, almost fearful of him attacking her or kissing her. She wasn’t sure which of the two scared her the most as she fought hard to look into his eyes.

She didn’t want to let him intimidate her, but once Nadine found his eyes and searched them for the hidden competition and challenge, she was surprised that one wasn’t there.

Sam Drake was merely staring widely into her eyes with his own expression of curiosity, sincerity, and a mild dash of fear. Neither of them blinked for a while, and Sam finally slid his hand from where Nadine’s heart was, over to her left breast.

Her eyes fell closed involuntarily, and she felt his other hand pushing the flaps of her sweater open as he made her more ‘open’ before his hands. He eventually tugged her sweater off, throwing it down to the floor as he simply stroked and caressed the side of her neck with his mouth and lips while rubbing his palm over her hardening nipple slowly and sensually over the cotton of her tank top.

He paused when she gasped softly, grabbing her face in a hand as he looked at her with mild concern, “This is okay, right?”

Considering who they were, technically it would never be ‘okay’. However, all other things in place, Nadine knew they were both two consenting adults who clearly were attracted to one another. She saw no flaw in it, but she wasn’t able to say that as she backed away and pressed herself against the armrest of the sofa.

“Sam,” she didn’t know what she was trying to say, but she was grateful he lowered his hand from her breast and instead flipped his fingers through her soft, straight hair.

“I like your hair like this,” he began as he sniffed the fresh, fruity scents from her shampoo early that morning, “but if I had a preference, I’d say the older look was more ‘you’.” He resumed smelling her neck, her chest, everywhere along her upper torso while she gasped and moaned.

While she was still ‘conscious’ and in control, Nadine wanted to ask him something. She pushed herself away from him once more as she fought to gain control over her vocal cords. She cleared her throat a few times, and Sam swallowed as he patiently waited for her to speak.

She bit down on her tongue as she slowly whispered: “Do you think what happened between us was…” she avoided eye contact then, clearly anticipating and nervous over the emotional bits of her question, “…right?”

Had it really been ‘right?’ She recalled seeing him with the Asian woman from the dance club she’d knocked out in the washroom stalls, and it had helped her get over her lust as she frowned at Sam.

“Are you really pursuing this because it’s something you know you really can’t, have?”

He didn’t seem to understand the question, and he pushed a few stray strands of hair back, staring at her with tired eyes, “Nadine, what do you mean?”

She eyed him wearily, “Really, Sam?”

Her word choice made him inch closer to her, resting an arm against the back of the sofa right above her head as his eyes gleamed with emotion and energy, “See? Now you call me by my first name!”

“So is that what you wanted, then?” she sighed, clearly tired of his game. She stared over at his arm above her head, but he made no further move to touch her.

He just stared at her with apprehension, “Do you think it was a mistake?”

She knew exactly what he meant and what he was referring to. Hoping he wouldn’t go into details and embarrass them both further, she shrugged, “Whatever the hell it was, it’s over now.”

Truthfully, Nadine had no idea what _it_ even was. On a physical level, she knew it was obviously attraction shared on both sides, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to dive into the emotional or psychological side of it, to understand what it _meant_ …

But if Sam wanted to know, Nadine would leave him to it. She just didn’t want to join in on the search for answers.

She pressed a hand against her forehead, pushing some of the soft, straight, loose hair strands back. Sam watched every move she made, clearly taken by her and mesmerized as if he had seen her for the first time all over again…

Only this wasn’t Scotland, and she didn’t have Rafe Adler working by her side, corrupting and tricking her…everything that was happening now was on her own accord, and she didn’t understand it when Sam’s eyes never left her form.

It made her self conscious, and she reached for her sweater to cover herself up with, when Sam gently placed a warm hand on the back of her neck. She shivered as she enjoyed the way he was simply massaging her there lightly, when she remembered the topic here.

She hissed as she shrugged out of his grasp, “Don’t think I’m like that tart!”

Sam raised an inquisitive eyebrow, “Wait, do you mean…”

Nadine growled, “The club!!”

Of course men like him would have forgotten. He would likely forget this, too. She wasn’t going to play by his game, and she felt her anger increasing as she stood from the sofa and slapped Sam’s hand away as it tried making a grab for her own.

“All men like _you_ care about is sleeping with as many women as possible; you don’t invest time and care into us!” she knew she was right when he frowned at her, and the moment he was ready to speak, she turned and made her way towards the door. Only she hadn’t been anticipating Sam to grab both her arms and yank her roughly back down on the sofa…

She collapsed against his chest, screaming and kicking for him to let her go, but he held onto her tightly, letting her writhe and struggle about in his lap as he wrapped both his arms around her waist.

“DRAKE! WHAT’S THE MEANING OF THIS?!?! UNHAND ME AT ONCE, YOU BASTARD!!”

He shook his head, “No! Not until you admit you were jealous of that woman in the club!”

“Oh for goodness sakes!” She couldn’t believe that this grown, adult man wanted something as childish and immature as her confessing to feelings of jealousy she never even had in the first place. If anything, the only reason she’d knocked that woman out was for her rudeness; not the fact that was going to spend the night with Sam!

Yes, that was it.

Deciding that was good enough, she hissed at him while trying to get his hands off her: “I just didn’t want her finding out what we do!!”

Sam chuckled, “Is that it, then?”

“Yes! You would’ve sold us all out!”

She felt his arms tightening around her, but he hadn’t meant to hurt her as he chuckled again, the deep vibrations of it hitting Nadine in the back and causing goosebumps all over her flesh to rise up…

Damn this man…

Nadine tried prying his fingers off her, and she was nearly successful when she felt a warm pressure on the back of her neck…

Sam was brushing her hair to the side, and he kissed the back of her neck gently and tenderly. His lips made soft noises as flesh met flesh, and Nadine had to freeze in the middle of her struggle as she tilted her head back and sighed in content.

She had been in the middle of enjoying the light kisses he trailed along her shoulders and neck, when she felt she was leaning all her weight back on his shoulders, and one of them happened to still be recovering from an injury…

She gasped as she turned suddenly, turning swiftly on his lap as she pressed a hand against his left shoulder while staring intently at it, “Sam! You’re still recovering from a wound,” she brushed his shirt back a little, looking at his arm as if that would tell her he was bleeding or not.

“You’re going to put too much pressure on that-”

Apparently he didn’t care to listen to what she had to say. He grabbed her hands once again and pushed her back onto the sofa gently while moving himself on top of her. Memories of what happened in the underground bunker flashed through Nadine’s mind, but she found that they weren’t ‘unwelcome’ thoughts and images…

Sam didn’t kiss her lips, however, and it disappointed her as she waited with her neck outstretched and eyes closed.

She practically groaned in frustration when Sam bypassed her lips entirely, forgetting that they existed as his warm lips descended on her neck…not that it was bad or wrong…

Nadine brushed her hair away from her neck and shoulders, pushing it back down as she ran a hand up and down Sam’s back, massaging and rubbing the muscles there gently in slow, small circles. She wasn’t sure why she was doing this, but it seemed to help Sam relax, and he moaned softly in the back of his throat as he kissed his way down Nadine’s collarbone while lowering the right strap of her tank top.

Nadine paused in the middle of rubbing his back, her blood and heart ceasing to flow and pump when she felt his lips caressing her bare shoulder. He was busy kissing her lower and lower, revealing more of her skin as he pulled down the right strap further.

Not wanting him to reveal her skin more, Nadine gently shook his shoulders, “Sam, wait…”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want this; she just remembered that the rest of their team could return at any moment, and she wasn’t sure whether or not someone had passed the information along to Sam, given how he’d locked himself up practically most days.

She shook his shoulders a little more roughly when he stroked her left shoulder, tugging lazily with the strap, definitely toying and playing with it as he plucked it like it was a harp string.

Nadine hissed through her teeth when Sam gently kissed the left side of her neck, nuzzling the tip of his nose against her skin and smelling her with deep breaths. He hummed in appreciation, and she pressed her fingertips into his skin as she made one more attempt at getting his attention.

“Sam…”

He showed no signs of stopping or slowing down as he slowly pulled down the left strap by barely an inch. Nadine gasped when the cool air of the basement hit her chest, and she realized that Sam was pulling down the tank top more and more…

“Sam!”

He finally grunted as he stared up at her, the top of her round breasts inches away from his lips. If he pulled the cloth down more, he would definitely reveal her nipples…

That seemed to be the idea, and he cupped and squeezed the round mounds firmly a few times as Nadine gasped and moaned softly. His hands…

She shivered, “Sam, the rest of the gang could be back at any minute,” she felt her cheeks flushing as the heat rose off them, and she offered him a small, shy smile, hoping he would let her cover herself up and stop this before they both lost control.

He looked at her with nothing short of a coy expression, “So what?”

Nadine frowned when he kissed the middle of her chest, “Sam I’m serious,” she shifted beneath him, but it only made him press his thighs and legs down harder over her, trapping her on the seat of the sofa. It caused a wonderful, pleasurable heat and pressure, but Nadine didn’t have the time to enjoy it.

“Sam, they could be back any minute,” she sighed when she felt him nuzzling her exposed chest, his lips barely grazing and sliding over her left nipple when he stopped and smirked up confidently at her.

“I’ve locked the door, don’t worry,” he pressed another kiss to the exposed, hardened nub, “no one will even come down here.”

Nadine gasped in a mixture of shock and pleasure as she pushed him away slightly, “You _locked_ the door?!” A part of her found this rather strange, but she also was grateful that Sam had taken the liberties to do things ‘properly’. Still, she didn’t like hiding and sneaking about.

“Sam!” she shook his head gently when he was busy and distracted by tenderly flicking a few fingers around her left, hardened nub. Nadine fought and struggled not to press down on the back of his head when his tongue slithered forward and sensually wrapped itself around her hardened nipple.

Christ…

It had been so, _so_ long since anyone had bestowed so much attention and care unto her like this…not even Asav had been able to please her this way.

She shook her head, not wanting to remember that homicidal bastard now that she had Sam lavishing so much wonderful attention to her. She decided to enjoy the moment, arching her upper torso forward and practically begging for more of his tongue to slide along her skin.

When Sam did just that, Nadine practically purred as his tongue glided over to worship her right nipple even more passionately than the left one. She felt her body responding and awakening nicely to every flicker of his tongue, and soon, she was writhing against him once more, rocking their hips together.

In the middle of it all, she somehow was still ‘aware’ and ‘awake’, and she gently whispered in Sam’s ear: “I’m not some c-conquest for you, Drake…”

He groaned as he pressed his hips against hers, meeting her rhythm eagerly, “I’m not treatin’ you like one, I swear.”

She kissed the top of his head, blushing when she realized what she’d done, “Good, because you won’t be able to come back f-from this if you-aah!”

He’d sucked one hard nub gently, his tongue passionately rolling it around in his mouth as he hummed deeply around it.

Nadine repressed screams as she looked at the patio door, “S-Sam! They could b-be back!”

Sam released the nipple he’d been suckling and stroking with his tongue as he groaned in frustration, “Why do I suddenly feel like I’m fourteen again and sneakin’ around with girls tryin’ to hide it from people?”

Nadine lightly bit his ear, and he yelped before attacking her mouth with his lips and tongue. She hadn’t meant for him to take it sexually, but it seemed like talking through to him with logic, reason, and truths wasn’t working when he was beyond aroused.

Nadine broke their kiss reluctantly as he frowned seriously at him, “Drake, I’m serious!”

He placed his palms on the sofa as he rolled his eyes and stood back, allowing her to get up and cover herself quickly.

“Fine, fine,” Sam ran a hand through the back of his hair, and Nadine noticed she’d messed it up and moved a lot of it out of place…

Had she really run her fingers through it that quickly?

She couldn’t remember…

“Thank you,” she grabbed her sweater off the floor where he’d thrown it, carefully straightening it out before draping it over her shoulder, ready to put it back on. Sam shifted, and he grabbed one of the sleeves while pulling her arm out gently, helping her slide her arm into the sleeve.

Nadine smiled at him, allowing him to help her with the second sleeve as he grumbled and muttered something under his breath. He was slightly sweating, and his cheeks were as flushed as hers as she pushed her hair back and ran her fingers through it to make sure it looked somewhat ‘normal’ and presentable before the rest of their team showed up again.

“You’re lucky I like you so much to listen to everything you have to say…”

She’d nearly missed what he’d said the first time around, but her mind pieced together his words and sentence quickly. She didn’t understand why, but hearing him say something like that lit something deep inside her she didn’t know she could feel.

Unsure of what to do with the feelings that were bubbling over her heart, she threw herself at him with wild desperation, gripping his cheeks tightly in both her hands as she placed their lips together for a deep, intimate kiss.

This was the first time she’d initiated something between them, and Sam seemed surprised by it. He froze for a moment, allowing Nadine to straddle his lap as she pressed kiss after kiss on his lips. Finally, he was able to take control of his limbs and body again, and he returned her kisses with a heated passion that overpowered her own as he gripped her hair gently and stroked the soft, long strands. He loved the way her hair felt like this in between his fingers; soft, silky, and smooth…

It turned him on as he deepened the kiss while wrapping his hands around her back, trying to push her back down on the sofa, when she abruptly broke the kiss and stood up to her feet.

Nadine gave Sam a little evil smirk, her lips pink and swollen from their kissing. Sam gaped at her for a moment, taking in her sly grin slowly before he looked down at her freshly-kissed lips.

He snickered as he mirrored her expression and pointed up at her, “You sly minx…”

“More where that came from,” she winked at him as she watched him stand to his feet, his arms falling down to cover the area between his legs, and for good reason.

Nadine giggled as she avoided staring down there at what he was trying to hide, “It seems you have yourself a little problem there, Sam.”

Unable to keep the seductive, playful tone out of her voice, Nadine whispered: “I wish I could help you with it indeed…”

“Wanna come up to my room?”

The way he’d asked the question sent Nadine into a fit of giggles. She sounded like a teenager as she gripped her waist and laughed heartily. Sam didn’t find the humor it in, and he glared at her and waited until she could speak.

Nadine hiccupped as she wiped her eyes, “I’m sorry!”

“I’m sure…”

She really was, but she couldn’t help but look up at him and burst into laughter once again. This annoyed Sam, and he shook his head at her in a disapproving manner.

“Yeah, laugh it up, Nadine,” he sighed as he ran a shaky hand through his hair, “I’m sure you’re enjoying my miserable state.”

“Noo!” she wheezed and coughed between laughter, and when she finally caught her breath, she stood up as she stroked Sam’s chest with a hand.

Sam stared down at her hand upon his chest and looked up into Nadine’s dark eyes with an inquisitive eyebrow quirked up.

“Sam,” she began softly, “I never meant to laugh at you…”

Before he could interrupt her with an argument, she leaned forward and kissed him for a moment, effectively silencing him.

It ended as soon as it had begun, and she kissed his Adam’s Apple while staring up at him warmly, “You just reminded me of a teenager who wants to fool around with his girlfriend in his room…”

Sam gasped as he stared down at Nadine while taking a step away from her, “Does that mean we’re a couple, or somethin’?”

His question suddenly helped Nadine snap out of the dream and sexual fantasies she’d been having lately. As great as it all had been, she had to ‘wake up’; Sam Drake would never be her ‘boyfriend’, ‘lover’, or romantic partner. They were on opposite sides of the same chess board, sure, but there was just no way they could actually ‘be together’….

The sooner she let him down, the better it was. He was doing weird things to her mind and heart, and Nadine had allowed it. In the end, if she got hurt, it would be _her_ fault. She had to stop it while she could.

She shook her head as she pushed herself away from him as far as she could, and Sam frowned at her in suspicion and confusion, ready to trail after her when she held out a hand to stop him.

“Don’t, Sam,” she moved closer to the stairs leading back up to the main floor of the cottage.

“Why?”

“Because it can never happen!” she hadn’t mean to yell, but she wanted him to understand this concept once-and-for-all before he tricked her into the sweet pleasurable feelings he’d once given her. As much as she wanted to continue with them, she knew they wouldn’t lead anywhere good.

She looked at the stairs, indicating where she wanted to go, “Sam, you and I can’t be together.”

There. She’d said it plainly and gently for him, hoping she’d broken through his lustful haze and talked some sense into him. It appeared she’d only angered him, and he dropped his arms down to his sides as he snorted at her while regarding her with an angry expression.

“What? Am I not good enough for you, then?”

Of course he’d take it the wrong way.

She wasn’t surprised, but she tried remaining calm as she took a few steps backwards, “Sam that’s not what I’m saying-”

He interrupted by exploding in a loud, booming voice, “THEN WHAT IS IT?!”

His anger had been the last straw. It only confirmed for her what her worst thoughts about him were, and she nodded as she confidently made her decision.

She gestured at him with an open hand, “See? You can’t even control your anger, Drake! What makes you think you’d make a good lover when you’re hardly capable of handling yourself!”

He knew she referred to his wounds as well as his mood, and he threw both hands in the air, finally giving up as he tossed her a heated glare, “Fine then,” he brushed past her, his long legs crossing the distance of the basement quickly, “but don’t say I didn’t try my best with you, Ross.”

She watched him climb the steps before she yelled out: “Makes no difference to me, Drake!”

She hated that he’d left her alone in the cold basement. When had it turned cold? She shivered as she pulled her sweater tightly around her body.

So they were back to square one again?

Great.

She turned off the TV before she exited the basement through the patio door, softly closing it behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here it is...more awkwardness for them lol  
> The road to romance is tough, guys (I speak from personal experience -_- )


	18. The Devil Woman

She needed to speak with Chloe. Nadine knew it the moment Sam had started returning back to his ‘old self’; hanging around the rest of the group and behaving like his usual, joke-happy-self, only he was absolutely going out of his way to ignore Nadine.

She thought she’d imagined it at first, but he was ignoring her when she flat out asked him who was going to drive when Sully told them the three of them would be heading into town for ‘supplies’.

Cutter and Chloe chose to stay back and extract more information from Frau Lina’s laptop, and Sam, Nadine, and Sully were to retrace the steps of Frau Lina based on her GPS and location Cutter had tracked from the laptop which was connected to her cellphone passwords.

At least Nadine’s spirits were uplifted with that golden news, but that ‘happy’ feeling didn’t last long when she sat in the passenger seat of the vehicle Sam Drake was currently driving as Sully sat in the back. His cough had luckily died down a lot, but he seemed on edge almost as he constantly checked his watch and looked out the car windows.

Sam noticed it first, and he peered at Sully in the rearview mirror curiously, “You okay, Sully?”

The older man scratched his arms as he nodded, “I think so, yeah…”

Nadine and Sam were both not buying it, but they avoided each other’s gaze and didn’t even bother striking up a conversation as they drove through the windy, cloudy streets.

The entire car ride was a disaster.

Sully seemed to fully understand what was going on between Sam and Nadine, as he began commenting about experiences with women throughout his younger years. He went through the stories one-by-one until Sam was driving with a hand pressed against his temple, and Nadine stared down at her lap while clasping her hands together in irritation.

They were both starting to sweat, but Sully kept going on and on about relationships and marriage…

Thankfully, they reached their destination, which was a simple grocery store. Nadine knew they needed to pack up the last bits of food and beverages before they headed off to the mountains; that was where Frau Lina had apparently set up a camp and base for herself and her husband.

Their exact location was still unknown, as anytime Cutter tried narrowing it down, Frau Lina would go off the grid. It seemed as if she knew they were looking for her now, and she was toying with them like a cat.

Nadine wanted to know exactly when the cat would sink her fangs into their necks, but it wasn’t a question she could just ask Cutter, Sam, or Sully…

Time would only tell, and Nadine was _not_ a patient person when it came to matters like this. She knew they were really out here after Frau Lina. Sully must’ve located her movement to the center of this ‘grocery store’, which may have been a guise for something else…

She hoped the half German-half-Russian witch wasn’t watching them now, but she would be lying if she told Sully she felt ‘comfortable’ or at ease when they stepped out of their car and walked across the parking lot towards the store.

Even though Sully warned Sam not to separate, the man did it anyway. He headed over towards the bakery section, his nose leading the way, and Nadine was left by the Fresh Produce sections with Sully. She didn’t mind that Sam had left them alone, however, and she gently held onto Sully’s right arm as she walked along with him and tried to find an opportune moment to talk to him.

That moment arrived when Sully let out a few rough coughs. It wasn’t so bad at first, but as they stacked up on beets, lettuce, kale, and dill, that was when his coughing got worse. A few other shoppers turned to stare openly at them, and Nadine soon put down the little, red shopping basket she was carrying as she looked at Sully with concern.

She threw the rest of the nosy shoppers an angry look, “Mind your own business!”

Sully held out a hand and wheezed out to her: “I’m fine! I’m fine!”

She gripped his hand tightly in hers, noticing a sign above their heads that was a symbol for medication. What a relief!

Nadine dragged Sully towards the cough drops, her ability to read some German proving helpful as she pushed through cough drops and other cough syrups. Desperately, her eyes moved about as she searched for something that Sully would be able to take that wasn’t a pill, hopefully.

She eventually located an anti-cough and anti-inflammatory-throat tea. She read through the instructions in a whisper as Sully looked at the package with a raised grey eyebrow.

“This’ll mix in well with honey and warm water, and it will stop your coughing,” she pushed the package gently into his hands, “but you _can’t_ take it with alcohol or cigarettes, Victor!”

He recoiled from her scolding, grabbing the package as he cleared his throat, “First off all, missy,” he pressed a clenched fist against his chest as he beat his chest lightly, “I’d never smoke those atrocious ‘cigarettes’; I’m a man with some class!”

Nadine fought hard to roll her eyes, “Whatever, Victor, just don’t smoke for some time so we can see if these work or not!”

He nodded, leading her away from the medication isle as he looked over at Sam bending down and studying some cake and pies on display behind a glass counter.

“I don’t mean to pry, Miss Ross,” he coughed again as he pointed at Sam with a free hand while Nadine grabbed their little shopping basket once again, “but I sense a _little_ tension…”

She wanted to shrug it off and hide it, so she did.

“It’s nothing,” she hoisted the basket on a shoulder as she took Sully’s hand in her own once she dumped the tea inside the basket, too.

The older man simply let out an exasperated sigh, “Kid, let me give you some advice,” he strolled over until he was turned to face Nadine, and his back was towards Sam, “don't try to con a con-artist.”

Nadine frowned at him as she placed a hand on her hip and gently swung the shopping basket a little, “You’re too paranoid Victor,” she let out with an impatient huff as her eyes skimmed over the back of Sam's head, “I really have nothing to hide, but I understand it is a part of your job to always be suspicious of everyone around you.”

Sully coughed again as he glared at her, “Clearly my personal stories I shared on the way here weren’t taken very seriously by you, were they?”

She pushed past him as she saw Sam turning around and making his way towards them once again.

“I don’t want to talk about it right now, Victor,” she quickly disbanded from them before Sam could get an idea of what they were whispering about. Simply put, Nadine didn’t feel too comfortable with how accurately Sully had accurately pieced together her discomfort around Sam. The entire time they had been driving and shopping, she tried not to give off any subtle hints or signs that they had some kind of a dispute-especially one based on romance.

As much as she tried not to admit it, the subject of romance with still a very sore and tender topic for her. She was quite sensitive about it, which meant she would have to avoid it entirely until either Sam approached once again and in a better and more appropriate manner, or if he showed signs of giving up on her entirely.

But that didn’t seem to be on the older Drake brother’s mind…

He paced aimlessly through the rest of the grocery store, following behind Nadine carefully. She constantly felt Sam’s eyes on her body no matter where she went or what she did. Once or twice when she looked behind to confirm her suspicions that he was staring at her, she was able to catch him staring at her at the very last minute before he whipped his head around and took an interest in something random.

The most recent case of this happening was when Nadine took a surreptitious glance over behind her shoulder at him and caught him studying her intently before he spun his head around. In less than a few seconds, he played with a rack of shopping carts by the front door.

She shook her head dismissively at him while Sully approached the checkout aisle with their items.

Why was Sam even bothering to pretend that he wasn’t watching her?

She wouldn’t be surprised if even Sully knew it…

Once again, Sam had made her feel like she was in high school and faced with her first crush or love interest. She decided to ignore it for the time being, resorting to sitting in the back seat when Sam drove them through the rest of the village. Sully sat beside him in the passenger seat, talking to him softly about something that Nadine knew she wasn’t interested in listening to.

She let them quietly drown themselves in whisper and chatter as she stared out the window. They drove on through crowded areas in the streets until they had located a large parking spot between two heavy trucks filled with mining and drilling equipment. It had only then occurred to Nadine that they were heading towards shopping mall.

She gazed around the huge, spacious parking lot to study all the vehicles within it, and her eyes finally took in the sight of large shopping mall a few feet in front of them.

Ignoring the way Sam greedily eyed her body once she stood out of the vehicle, she aimed her question at Sully with an inquisitive eyebrow raised, “Why are we here, Victor?”

The older man gave her a small wink, “There is a book store here that I’ve been wanting to check out for quite some time…”

Nadine was able to read through the lines as she nodded at Sully. This wasn’t just any book store that they were going to; it was an old, antique, and renowned German-history book store filled with ancient, old archives and files based on infamous and wonderous treasures that were based more on legends and myths than anything else. This was a good place towards getting some answers for the Nebra sky disc.

Appreciating how clever the older thief was, Nadine silently walked behind Sully and Sam as she straightened out her light blue summer top that sat above her dark, tight, skinny jeans. The weather had agreed with her outfit of choice, and she took in a deep breath of fresh, outdoor air before she was blasted in the face by the cool air conditioning of the shopping mall once she stepped inside it.

She wasn’t sure where this book store was located, but apparently Sully had known; immediately making a beeline through a crowd standing in the food court, lined up and waiting eagerly for pretzels, popcorn, fresh bread and other wonderful goodies.

Odors of the food made Nadine’s stomach grumble a little. Pressing a hand against her belly, she hoped no one had heard it cry for food. Luck wasn’t on her side, however, and she heard Sam snickering as he turned and glanced down at her flat stomach. When Sully wasn’t paying attention, Nadine raised her right leg and kicked Sam lightly in the ass. She watched in delight as the tall Drake brother stumbled forward a few steps. He turned and threw her a dirty glare before picking up the pace and pausing outside the bookstore as Sully pointed up at it.

“And here we are, folks!” he announced with a happy grin on his face as he clapped his hands together and walked inside the old book store.

The sign high above their heads was simply a large book that was open with the large, dark font and letters reading: OLD GOAT BOOKS.

Nadine thought it was quite appropriate once she stepped inside the bookstore and smelled the old, unmistakable scent of paper, old books, and dust. The rest of the bookstore was actually quite clean and a wonderful sight to see; the windows facing the outside were large and shiny, revealing the sight of other shoppers quickly walking around the rest of the mall.

There were shelves and stacks of books heading upwards towards the ceiling, and a large spiral staircase paved the way for the second floor of the antique book store. The genre of books were carefully and clearly labeled in both German and English as Nadine walked around the center of the store, carefully studying their organized signs.

She stood in between the Fiction and Biography isles while Sully went to the front of the store and draped his arms over the counter as he rang small bell propped on the desk. His fingers tapped the shiny bell a few times, obviously trying to get the shopkeeper’s attention.

A roll of magazines and journals stood to the right of her as Nadine flipped through a few story books that she had never seen before in her entire life. Her father and mother had been very generous with her education of various cultures and languages when she was young, but majority of the story books and fairy tales she saw now were absolutely new to her. She excitedly flipped through them as her eyes caught the wonderful colors and images of animals, toys, and other things that would entertain and excite children.

While she heard Sully whispering and chatting with the shopkeeper, Nadine decided that she wanted to dive deeper into more fiction. She decided to take a gander at what the novels meant for young teenagers and youth of today had to offer, and she turned away from the story book isles and walked passed another two rows of books until she approached a small book nook in the far right-hand corner of the store.

Plenty of fashion magazines and other magazines based on celebrity lifestyles and entertainment were stacked neatly on shelves organized and centered around the book nook. Nadine fished one out at random, and sat down on the deep green seat of the book nook as she got comfortable enough to sit down and read.

Her back and shoulders appreciated little break, and she felt herself immediately sinking into the warm, soft seat as she propped open the magazine and flipped to the first page. She realized that she had opened it up to the German text. However, before she could turn the magazine to the other side to begin reading the English text, a large, warm hand pressed against her mouth.

Nadine suddenly realized that there was no one else in this section of the book store, and she began freaking out as she tried turning her head to see who her intruder was. There was a flash of movement before her eyes, and the small curtain that one was able to draw segregating the book nook from the rest of the store had been drawn back.

It had been meant for absolute privacy, but Nadine hated it once she was encased in some darkness as the hand against her mouth pressed harder. She let out some muffled moans as she flung her magazine down to the floor.

Before Nadine could reach up and pry the hand away from her mouth, there was a heavy weight pressed down on her. It was then that the hand had been replaced by a pair of warm, sensual lips delivering rounds of passionate kisses to her own…

Her mind told her it was Sam even before she could probably see him in the small, dim lights the pot lights in the ceiling above the book nook provided.

He really wasn’t going to give up, was he?

Nadine felt his hands roaming her body as he pressed her against his chest, and instead of fighting him back and pushing him away like she should have, she gripped his shoulders tightly in her fingers and kissed him back eagerly.

His hands played with her straight, long hair, and he forced her mouth open as he dipped his hot, wet tongue inside the soft cavern of her mouth. It wasn’t long before their make out session turned wilder and more carnal; Sam began grabbing at her breasts desperately, his fingers slipping down the low-cut open neckline of her top, while she ground their hips together as she pulled their lower halves firmly together.

Before her hands could sneak down his jeans, the curtain was yanked open and aside. More light from the rest of the bookstore fell down on them, and Nadine yelped once she flung herself to the side and off Sam’s lap.

The shopkeeper cleared his throat, “Ahem,” he pushed his glasses up his nose, his crazy, Einstein-looking hair standing around his bulbous head in messy, unkempt bundles as he grabbed a ladder that was to the right of the book nook.

He glared down at Sam and Nadine while his cheeks turned slightly pink, “I miss being young myself,” he began, dragging the dark, wooden ladder across the floor carefully, “but I don’t recall ever in my youth fooling around with a woman in a bookstore.”

Nadine pulled her hair back in a ponytail as she heard Sam snickering beside her.

“Sorry.”

“Mhm!”

They watched the older man walking towards the center-left part of the store, propping the ladder against a tall, high shelf as Sully admired the ceilings and walls of books. The shopkeeper climbed the ladder as he reached for an old, red book that was quite large and thick…

No wonder it had been hidden from the rest; it was its own special, secretive beauty.

Sam stood, carefully rearranging his jeans as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and gave Nadine a shy glance, “I’ll uh…I’ll just see what’s goin’ on…”

Nadine nodded as she watched him join Sully while the older man paid for the book. She could only wonder what contents and secrets it held, but she knew she would soon find out as she straightened her clothing out and momentarily ignored how excited and on fire her body was.

It seemed as if no matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to control herself and stay away from Sam Drake…

…Not that she minded it at all.

“~~~~~~~~~”

They were walking side-by-side as Sully held open the book, reading out loud from it as he tried keeping his voice low. The mall had grown even more crowded and even louder as they walked around, trying to enjoy the rest of the sights and views as the day went on.

Sully eventually walked on ahead of them, and Sam tried keeping up with him, fearful that he would get lost in the sea of bodies and shoppers.

Nadine kept her eyes on the back of their heads as she quickened the pace and pushed by shoppers who were lingering around the outside of clothing stores, studying the fashionable clothing on display, dressed nicely and perfectly on thin male and female mannequins.

Nadine had never been one for ‘fashion’ or clothes shopping, but now that she had a taste of ‘freedom’ outside of slaving away in Shoreline, she couldn’t help but surrender to the curiosity of her femininity.

She stopped walking briskly in order to catch up to Sam and Sully when she saw a large, long rack of autumn coats placed outside a women’s clothing store. The items were obviously on sale, and she saw the signs indicating that everything was almost 65% off the regular price.

More women noticed this too, and they gathered around the coats as Nadine brushed aside a few of the darker colors she’d been drawn to.

The coats were lovely, sensible-given the price-and they looked warm. She tried one on as she walked inside the store and located a tall, standing mirror. She thought she looked fantastic in the coat; it came down to her thighs, framing and shaping her posterior and legs nicely as it encased her in warmth and cotton. The buttons and stitching were lovely, and Nadine took off the coat as she studied the insides of it.

The pockets were spacious and roomy, and she ran her hand along the fabric of it and hummed in appreciation at how soft and smooth it was…

Loud feminine laughter ringing about in the store suddenly reminded her that she had completely abandoned Sam and Sully…

Her heart began racing when she realized her grave mistake. She dropped the coat on the floor of the shop as she made her way outside in the foyer of the mall. Her eyes caught a swarm of shoppers heading her way, talking on their cellphones, laughing, stopping by store windows as they glanced about eagerly.

She didn’t see Sam or Sully as she turned and peered in the direction she was sure they’d headed off in.

Damn!

Why was she so careless?!

She excused and pardoned herself as she brushed past more women as she walked along the sides of the halls and breezed past more clothing, jewelry racks outside on display, and other carts filled with shoes and boots.

She wasn’t able to see anything as more and more bodies pressed themselves around her. Panicking, Nadine retreated back a few steps as she bit her lower lip in frustration. Her heart was beating too quickly now, and it did her no good as she backed up and practically fell against two racks of coats.

How could this happen so fast?!

Nadine threw her head back and screamed out in frustration, but it seemed as if no one heard her. How could they in this loud mess?!

She was about to cry out for Sully or Sam, and she screamed in anger once again, grinding her teeth together. She couldn’t just shout out their names in public; not unless she wanted them all in trouble with the law.

“AAAAH!!!!”

Her screams silenced a few shoppers around, and they avoided her as they moved away from her. They likely thought she was insane, but Nadine didn’t care as she began crying out in fear.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She whipped around in fright and panic, but before she could scream out in horror, she saw a feminine face peering at her from between two thick jackets.

The cold, mysterious eyes of Frau Lina met her own, and Nadine’s jaw dropped in fear when she saw the woman pressing an index finger over her pursed lips.

“Shhh...”

“~~~~~~~~~”

The gun poking into her back was a constant reminder not to try anything stupid or adventurous, and Nadine felt herself struggling internally as she clenched her fists tightly while the rest of the main floor of the mall disappeared.

She was on an escalator with Frau Lina standing beside her. From afar, due to how closely the two women were standing together, anyone would have assumed they were close friends. Frau Lina draped an arm over Nadine’s back as she pulled her dark spring jacket tightly around her body, the pistol hidden beneath the long coat sleeve kept away from everyone else’s eyes.

The escalator seemed like one of the slowest rides in Nadine’s life, but she pressed her feet down firmly as she tried keeping her body as far away from the gun as possible. Only, every time she moved, the gun would jam into her lower back…

The damn bitch…

“Do you care for ice-cream, Miss Ross?”

Nadine couldn’t believe the question the vicious, vile woman asked her, and she turned with wide eyes as she gaped at Frau Lina, “What?”

The gun slammed against her back, “I don’t like repeating myself,” the dangerous woman warned her as she waved a hand at someone up ahead.

They were coming to the top floor of the mall, and as Nadine stared over in the direction Frau Lina had waved in, she hissed under her breath when she noticed her husband, Herr Josef. The bald man waved back at his wife, his eyes gleaming dangerously as he waited by an ice-cream cart in the food court placed on the second floor of the mall.

Nadine and Frau Lina got off the escalator as their footsteps adjusted once again to walking along smooth, clean tiles.

Nadine knew she was nervous and dizzy, but it wasn’t from riding on the escalator. She knew Frau Lina’s husband likely had guards and security all over the mall, as they wouldn’t be as senseless and careless to track Nadine and her team down without bringing their own backup.

She tried locating who the men were among the crowd of people, but it was difficult when Frau Lina leaned against her and whispered in her ear: “I hope you like vanilla…”

Nadine repressed the urge to punch the woman in the nose, “What do you want from me?”

“Ahh, how direct of you, Frauline…” the vile woman beckoned her husband over with an index finger, and he nodded at her while abandoning his spot in line by the ice-cream cart. The couple crossed paths, and Herr Josef leaned against his wife in what appeared to be a hug, but Nadine knew it was a guise.

She quickly saw Frau Lina hand him over the gun, and in no time, he’d pointed it at Nadine’s ribs beneath his own trench coat. Nadine didn’t appreciate it, but there was little she could do when Frau Lina walked over to the ice-cream cart and began ordering their ‘treats’.

Wondering if the blasted woman was going to slip something inside her cone, Nadine trained her eyes on the witch while Herr Josef nodded over at a small table among many that were placed around the food court.

Nadine gazed at Herr Josef when he sat down directly across from her, leaving the seat next to him vacant for his wife, possibly. The seat next to Nadine was also vacant, but she didn’t care as she shifted her body in her own seat uncomfortably.

She gave the man a pleading look, “You don’t need to listen to her…”

When he didn’t respond, Nadine whispered softer, “Just let me go, please.”

He raised an eyebrow at her but didn’t say anything else.

Nadine was about to make an attempt at simply running away when she saw a shadow fall over their table. She looked up to angrily greet the cold eyes of Frau Lina.

She seated herself down by her husband, and the man slowly hid his gun beneath their table, no doubt pointing it at Nadine’s abdomen while Frau Lina placed a small tray bearing three vanilla cones between them in the center of their table.

She glared at Nadine, “Don’t bother begging and crying to him,” she draped an arm over her husband’s shoulders, “he doesn’t speak or understand a word of English.”

Nadine shoved the cone away from beneath her nose when Frau Lina held it up to her.

The other woman sighed as she grabbed it and brought it to her own lips instead, “Suit yourself.”

Nadine looked around the second floor of the mall, hoping somehow that Sam and Sully were up here searching for her, when she heard the safety of the gun click off…

It was a silent warning, and she swallowed nervously as she looked over at Frau Lina. She pushed the tray over to Nadine while Herr Josef stared darkly and menacingly over at her.

“Please have one, before I end up doing something we both may regret.”

She hated that she had to obey, but Nadine roughly held a cone in her hands and began tasting the ice-cream. As sweet as it was, she was unable to enjoy it while she prayed for Sam and Sully to show up in the nick of time.

They didn’t.

“~~~~~~~~~”

Practically not a single person noticed them silently heading towards the Security Room, with Frau Lina’s husband holding the door open for them as his wife guided Nadine through the ‘Employees Only’ door. They walked down a white hallway barren of anything inside it, and Nadine faced another door that Frau Lina’s husband pried open with a hand.

It led to a stairwell, and it didn’t take Nadine long to piece together that they were headed to the roof of the shopping mall.

She allowed the door leading up to the roof to be pushed open again by the woman’s husband, and he stroked Nadine’s back with the gun as their boots and shoes dragged across the gravel and rocks up there.

Despite the weather still being warm and cooperative, it did little to ease Nadine’s nerves as she watched Frau Lina walking towards the edge of the roof. She stared down at the grounds below, and Nadine found herself wishing Herr Josef hadn’t been present so she could shove the creature standing at the edge off the rooftop.

That would end everything, once and for all…

Frau Lina took a deep breath as she turned around and faced Nadine. She folded her hands in her lap as she offered Nadine a small smile, “The view is fantastic up here, care to join me?”

Nadine stared at the woman’s outstretched hand, and when she wanted to hesitate, Herr Josef rammed the gun against her shoulder blades painfully. She had no other options.

She took Frau Lina’s hand in her own, surprised it was warm. She had expected this monster to be so cold and heartless as she always seemed to be…

Frau Lina stood by Nadine’s side, and they looked up at the white clouds and then the sights below. The cars in the parking lot were small, and Nadine looked at the top of some people’s heads as they walked towards their cars. The sounds of engines turning on filled the air, and Nadine looked over at Herr Josef signaling by his back to someone…

As Nadine watched in horror, a few men in dark masks and black trench coats walked over by his side, and they held sniper rifles in their hands. They pointed their weapons at Nadine, but she didn’t show any fear. She knew Frau Lina wasn’t foolish enough to shoot her here in public.

This was merely a scare tactic…

Nadine wanted to get to the point, “What do you want from me?”

Frau Lina hummed as she threw back her long, dark hair and the wind picked up. It blew her hair back, and Nadine frowned at her, still feeling their hands tightly pressed together.

“Have you ever wanted to live forever, Miss Ross?”

Ignoring the random question, Nadine shook her head, “You already got the container, we know you have it.”

Frau Lina looked bored. She rolled her eyes, “We don’t have the disc…”

Nadine suddenly knew where this was going. Frau Lina needed their help. Nadine didn’t consider herself as skilled of a treasure hunter as Sam or Chloe, so she naturally had to wonder why Frau Lina had selected her out of the group and targeted her.

Frau Lina’s men silently walked closer towards them, but they began raising their weapons over and above Nadine’s head…

“I don’t care if you want to kill me,” Nadine hissed, “I won’t help you find the disc.”

Frau Lina scoffed at this, “Oh but you _will._ ” How she could speak with such confidence in her voice frightened and troubled Nadine. She repressed a shiver from going down her spine as she shook her head once more.

“Find it yourself.”

“I can’t.”

Nadine laughed in frustration as she threw her head back and looked up to the sky, as if it held the answers for her.

“Look, if this is about fame or money, I can tell you that it’s not worth it!”

She hoped that her own experiences and events as a ‘villain’ after money would be able to break through to Frau Lina. It was truly her last hope, but she was surprised to find the woman snickering and then laughing loudly as she clapped a hand against her mouth to silence herself.

Her shoulders racked up and down as she laughed, and Nadine glared at her.

Eventually, when she had enough of her laughter, Frau Lina straightened herself out and a cold expression was upon her face again, “This isn’t about money, I assure you…”

“Then what is it?!” Nadine was unable to keep the frustration and impatience out of her voice, and she watched a few of the men pointing their weapons down at the pavement below.

As Nadine spun around to see what they were targeting, her blood froze in her veins.

They were pointing their red lasers at the backs of Sam and Sully…

No…

Nadine threw herself at one of the men, trying to yank the weapon of his hands, but Frau Lina delivered a swift roundhouse kick to the back of her head.

Her friends were searching the parking lot for her, but Nadine had to bite down on her cries and screams when Frau Lina pulled her up to her feet. Herr Josef was walking backwards towards the door, signaling he was ready to leave. A few of his men followed him, while Frau Lina stroked Nadine’s chin and cheeks sensually for a moment.

“The disc is more than what it appears to be, my dear,” she whispered and cooed as her fingers stroked Nadine’s loose hair strands back over her shoulder, “some say it is the key to immortality, and I would like to offer to share that gift with you…” her eyes turned vicious, a silent threat, “ _…if_ you help me…”

Nadine didn’t care what this woman wanted. Helping her was a choice worse than any torture or form of death in the entire world. She just didn’t want her friends suffering because of her, and she slapped Frau Lina’s hands away from softly grazing over her forehead as she glared evenly into the woman’s eyes.

They exchanged glares, and as the rest of the men pulled back, Frau Lina finally followed. The door to the rooftop was half open, and she gripped the side of it as she pointed at Nadine, “This isn’t an offer I am willing to make to just anyone, Miss Ross…”

She slowly started being consumed by the darkness, and as she retreated, Nadine only saw her eyes glowing like a dangerous beast in the dark, “I’ll always have my eyes on you and your friends, so think about it carefully.”

Nadine didn’t move as Frau Lina tossed her a menacing grin that was nothing short of evil while her eyes widened dramatically.

Her final words sent shivers down Nadine’s spine, and she was sure she wouldn’t forget them, _ever_.

“I admire your strength, and I chose to share the gift of the Nebra Sky disc with you only for this purpose…”

The door shut with a soft click, finally.

_“Think about my offer.”_

Nadine turned and looked down the ledge of the rooftop, fearing that Sam and Sully had been hurt or killed. Her imagination had been getting to her, and she just saw them leaning against the car they’d drove to the mall in. Sully held a phone to his ear as he no doubt was trying to call Nadine, while Sam lit up a cigarette as he waited.

Nadine sighed as she walked towards the rooftop door.

How was she going to tell them what happened?!

There was no more room for hiding and lying, not when their lives were at stake.

She only prayed she could wring Frau Lina’s neck first, wanting to get to the horrible, monster of a woman before anyone else could…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frau Lina is terrifying O.o


	19. And We Danced Into The Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEET. Uncharted 2 references :)

Sam and Sully didn’t press her for details until they were all safely inside their shared cottage once again. All Nadine had whispered when she entered the car was: “Frau Lina.” That had lately been more than enough, and expressed what words could not. Sam and Sully simultaneously understood what she meant, and they were off in the car without another glance cast back at the shopping mall.

They’d driven wildly through the streets as Nadine willed herself to calm down in the backseat, constantly peeking out the windows. She didn’t understand what she had been looking for. It wasn’t as if Frau Lina could fly through the air beside the car and peer inside it. Still, Nadine felt beyond terrified, and she took to lying down on the backseat of the car until they were safely inside their cottage.

She was so nervous, and she hadn’t tried hiding it from Sam or Sully. Sully constantly peered over his shoulder at her, wanting to ask if she was okay, but Nadine cradled her head in her hands and she rocked herself back and forth. The sight of it scared her friends, but they didn’t intervene as they helped her out of the car and into the cottage.

Sully threw the book they’d gotten from the bookstore down to the floor when Nadine whispered to him that the woman knew they were following her and trailing her. The air in the cottage grew cold, and it wasn’t long before Chloe and Cutter joined the rest of them in the sitting room.

No one spoke a word, and Sully picked up his book as he flipped to a page after Nadine had finally broken down to him about what Frau Lina had stated she wanted.

The older man didn’t seem shocked or surprised to learn that Frau Lina wasn’t after money or fame; instead focusing on ‘immortality’…

He stuck to that running theme as he raised an index finger and read out loud for the group: “This ancient artifact was said to have fallen from extraterrestrials…it was imbued with a single purpose; to test humanity. It can be a gift for the right individual who bears a pure heart with pure intentions, or it could be the source of eternal misery and darkness, if the person who finds it has a corrupt soul.”

As Sully read on about the ancient artifact, Nadine felt a tug-of-war going on inside her. It appeared as if Frau Lina hadn’t lied to her about the powers of the Nebra Sky disc, but why did she want to be immortal?! Was that a code for something else?

Immortality just wasn’t possible at all, and Nadine had to wonder why Sully was wasting their time with this nonsense. Was everyone suddenly mentally unwell?! She felt her patience slipping, and as she tried to interrupt Sully’s reading, he placed the book down on his lap and frowned at her.

“Something wrong, Nadine?”

She nodded, “Yeah, a _lot_ is wrong, actually!” She hadn’t meant for it to sound so rude and brazen, but it apparently had. Cutter and Chloe winced at her tone and the volume of her voice, but she didn’t care as she glared at the book in Sully’s hands.

“This woman is mentally unwell, and we’re wasting time here talking about ‘immortality’?” she shrieked in disappointment and anger, “such a waste of time!!”

Sam rolled his eyes, “It may not be as much of a wild goose chase as we think, Nadine…” The older Drake brother went on to explain that some things in this world were beyond a rational explanation. He provided an example of an experience that Nathan had shared with him regarding a Cintamani Stone. It wasn’t an everyday thing Nadine had heard of, but she allowed Sam to speak, and he told her about how the Cintamani Stone had appeared in the Earth in a similar way as the Nebra Sky Disc.

It apparently had a long history in the Buddhist religion, and it was said that the stone had fallen from the sky inside a chest filled with several other relics. It was an artifact of great power, and Sam stated that the Cintamani Stone was said to grant invincibility and possibly immortality to whomever possessed it. The Stone was also said to be a wish-fulfilling jewel much like a Buddhist Holy Grail of sorts. It, along with the city of Shambhala, were once protected by Guardians who had been inflicted and driven mad by the Stone’s power...well, that was up until the legendary and infamous Nathan Drake had discovered it all on his own and brought the entire mystical Kingdom down with gunfire, explosives, and plenty of stubbornness. 

How like him, really.

The parallels were obvious, now, but Nadine still refused to believe them. All her life, she’d be known for being a woman of reasoning, and logic. Granted, she understood and was willing to accept that there were some things in the world still undiscovered by man that perhaps granted mystery in the world, but they only did so because they had yet to bear logical and rational explanations and conclusions; nothing more, nothing less. 

There was no way she was going to start believing in magic and ghosts, now, regardless of whatever the Drake brothers had witnessed and experienced. 

She ignored him as he wrapped up his explanations and story-telling as she shook her head and grabbed the book. She slammed it shut as she threw it on the spare seat of the sofa next to him, “This is probably exactly what Frau Lina wanted!!”

An excuse, a deliberate lie spoken in order to buy herself time. It was an effective way to slow them down, and like fools, they’d fallen for it. What was the point of ‘story time’ when they should have been tearing through the streets after her and her husband?

Nadine didn’t want to get into the fact that Frau Lina had nearly threatened their lives. The red lasers pointing at Sam and Sully’s skulls had riveted and shook her to her core, waking her up to how dangerous the situation was. She never wanted anyone to be harmed, so if it meant that she had to make a sacrifice, she was going to have to do it.

Deciding on it, she stood before the group as she placed her hands on her hips. She studied each of them carefully, emotions flying through her as she made contact with each of them; even Sam.

He met her eyes with some kind of sadness she was unable to tolerate for the time being. She avoided more eye contact with him as she wrung her hands together nervously. She cleared her throat as she stood tall and forced a smile on her face, even though she was absolutely a mess on the inside.

If Frau Lina wanted her, so be it.

She studied Sully closely as she spoke about how dangerous and evil the vicious woman was, and she told them the truth about the threats against their lives...

Sully handled it well for the most part, but Cutter and Chloe exchanged sad, frightened looks, and Chloe nervously grabbed both of Cutter's hands in her own, squeezing both of them tightly in her nervous grip.

Nadine felt horrible for causing her friends to worry like this, but she wanted to be as upfront and honest with them as possible. These people trusted her as one of their own, and there was no way she was later on going to use the excuse of: “I was trying to protect you!”, especially if someone’s life was at stake. It wouldn’t hold any water, so she didn’t even bother thinking about it as an option.

Before Nadine could say anything else about sacrificing herself for the group, Sam stood to his feet and moved in place next to her. Nadine stared at him for a moment, but he ignored her as he said:

“What Frau Lina wants is for someone to show her where the Nebra Sky disc is…”

Sully rolled his eyes, “We figured that out already, Sam, but thanks for the update.”

Cutter nodded in agreement, “Get to the bloody point, mate.”

Without hesitating, Sam sighed, “I’ll go along with her then, because she’ll endanger everyone else until she gets what she wants,” Sam ran a hand through his hair, obviously nervous.

“…We’ll ‘give’ her what she wants, and then we’ll take her down together, as a team.”

Nadine’s jaw dropped, and she immediately disagreed. She didn’t like this plan at all and she was certain to voice it out loud, “This is your so-called-idea of a plan, Drake?”

Sam didn’t look at her, even though he hummed, “It’s the best chance we’ve got,” he held up a hand when Chloe stood up to interrupt, “especially considerin’ how I ‘helped’ Asav, remember?”

She did indeed remember, and Nadine exchanged a worried look with Chloe. Sure, Sam had been able to take care of himself back during that horrifying situation, but comparing Frau Lina to Asav was foolish. They were completely different people, and Frau Lina didn’t seem to be as ‘trusting’ as Asav. The now-deceased man was remembered to be as psychotic and insane as Frau Lina, sure, however, his training had paled in comparison to Lina’s, and he never seemed to have fully prepared anything beyond one-day-at-a-time. Asav had always acted on impulse, but Frau Lina was far more unpredictable. 

It was a foolish idea to even suggest, but Sam had made up his mind. He left the room, with Chloe, Sully, and Cutter yelling at him behind his back, while Nadine sat down and called after them, “I’m going with him!”

Sam stopped, halfway out the room when he yelled out: “You won’t dare to do such a thing, Nadine,” he shoved Cutter out of the way roughly when the short Brit tried blocking his way, “I’m going in alone, and I want everyone to back off me for now!”

Many arguments flew forward, but Sam didn’t want to hear it.

“I’m going out for some drinks,” he yelled out as he grabbed his car keys off a table in the hall, hurrying to change into a fresh, black dress shirt hanging in the hallway closet.

“If anyone wishes to join me, I’ll be waiting in the car.”

They of course wanted to join him, and one-by-one, they ran outside, hissing and yelling at him as Sam sat in the driver’s seat, heading for the bar they’d once visited many nights ago.

“~~~~~~~~”

They’d clearly wanted the trip to be fun and exciting, almost like a friendly hangout, but it was anything except that. Sam had put on a show of feeling good, even though it felt like he was having a ‘last supper’ with his friends before walking down the road towards his death. Of all the dramatic things, really.

Leave it to a Drake brother to make Nadine Ross-of all people-care about his future and well-being. 

But she had. The woman had barely been able to enjoy herself, constantly looking over at Sam while she saw him wearing a mask of phony happiness, joy, and zeal while he downed a few drinks and loosened himself up for 'partying'.

Sam was soon dancing with Cutter and Chloe, but they weren’t exactly ‘dancing’…

They seemed to be trying to get his attention to try and talk to him likely for the purposes of knocking some sense into his thick skull, but every time they did, he simply brushed them aside and retreated towards the center of the dance-floor while Nadine and Sully waited by the bar.

Nadine was unable to watch the entire thing, knowing that Sam was taking the risk of a lifetime. She wanted to beg Sully to get him to change his mind, but she noticed him heading back from the washroom.

Hoping he hadn’t been coughing, she felt her worries increasing as the responsibilities of taking care of these people was growing on her. As rough and tough as Nadine considered herself, she knew she had feelings of concern, compassion, empathy, sympathy, and friendship. She didn’t want to have anything happen to Sam, and she wasn’t going to play with the risky game that Frau Lina was offering.

Sully moved back to his stool, sitting beside Nadine as he held his head in his hands. Knowing how close the older thief was to Sam, Nadine grabbed Sully’s shoulders, shaking them gently, “Victor, please don’t let him do this!”

Sully looked at her with sad, exhausted eyes before he ordered a drink, “Nadine, if there’s one thing I can tall you about Nathan and Sam, it’s this: there’s nothing I can force them to do or say if they themselves don’t want to do it,” he coughed lightly, “and _if_ they want to do something, they _will_ do it, no matter what.”

Nadine didn’t feel satisfied with that, “So you’re going to let him walk right into the arms of death?!”

The older thief looked like he was experiencing the loss of a biological son, just then. He was in a totally wrecked state of appearance and mind, and he tightened his grip on an already-empty-glass of cheap beer that he shouldn’t have drank, but likely did for the purposes of calming his nerves.

As the music in the club blared on, Sully frowned at Nadine, suddenly, “So nice of you to have a change of heart when it comes to Sam, Miss Ross.” His tone hinted at mild sarcasm, but Nadine brushed it off. She had other things to worry about than Sully’s insults, for now.

“Do you even care, Victor?”

The sound of his glass slamming down on the counter told her enough.

“What kind of a god damn question is that?! Of course I care!! I practically raised both of them myself!”

She was surprised he hadn’t shattered his glass when he slammed it on the counter once more. Eyeing him wearily, she hissed out: “He’s doing this for us. Victor...don’t we have a responsibility to help him at all?”

His tired eyes searched through hers while she looked back in an equal stare of her own. 

“He’s not doing this for _us_ , Nadine,” he practically whispered after he let out a small cough, “…he’s doing this for _you_.”

A part of Nadine knew this was absolutely true. After everything she’d shared with Sam Drake, and after how closely they’d grown together during the journey, she knew that Sam felt something for her, because it almost mirrored what she was starting to feel for him. But she hadn’t expected him to get in the way of another bullet that had been aimed for her…

She shrugged off the overwhelming emotions that threatened to drown her, “I don’t agree, Victor.”

The man waved a hand and swayed on his seat, “It doesn’t matter much now, Nadine,” he sighed and then coughed again, his eyes closing as if he was experiencing a horrible pain. The sight of it alone made Nadine want to drag him out of the bar and back to the cottage with another cup of the special tea she’d purchased for him, but she knew Victor Sullivan was one stubborn son of a bitch.

“—if I were you,” he began as he took a cautious look over his shoulder, “I’d think of this as potentially one of the last times and moments I could spend with Sam Drake.”

She quirked an eyebrow at him, “What’re you suggesting, Victor?”

He whispered: “Carpe diem.”

She rolled her eyes, “You exhaust me, Victor.” Why couldn’t he just drop the hints and be clear and succinct, for once?!

Thieves!!

Sully glared at her, but before he could say anything, Sam suddenly interrupted with a deep laugh.

“You guys should find something better to do rather than talkin’ shit about me behind my back…”

His shirt clung to his muscles, but Nadine ignored it as she turned away from Sully and softly hissed at Sam: “Why’re you doing this?!”

Sam raised an eyebrow, “Doin’ what?”

“You’re worrying us all!” She wasn’t sure how much of it Sully could handle especially, and she pointed at the older man, hoping Sam would understand and grasp her point.

He apparently had, but he shrugged and rolled his eyes, “Nadine, I came here to enjoy my time; not be subjected to bitching…”

She gasped and rose off the stool, “If that’s what you think my concern for your safety is, then I’m leaving.”

“Nadine wait-”

She grabbed her cellphone, unlocking it with the swipe of a finger, “Don’t even bother coming after me; I don’t want to ruin your night.”

Sam watched her hurriedly dial a number.

“I’m calling a cab back to the cottage, goodnight.”

Without another word, she stormed off to the front of the club, fire burning in her veins.

“~~~~~~~~”

A door slammed behind her once she entered the cottage and had taken off her shoes. She knew it was Sam, but she was shocked to see he was alone. He tore after her as he finally found her halfway up the stairs.

“Just what the _hell_ is your problem?!” his thunderous roar did little to frighten her, and she merely scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“ _My_ problem? _My_ damn problem?” she laughed as she shook her head in disbelief, “how rich, Drake.”

The irate man threw his hands up in the air, defeated. His eyes searched and swept over her form up and down once, “How the heck am I supposed to know? You women are so unpredictable, I swear!”

She pointed a finger into his sternum roughly, “Did it ever occur to you that perhaps Victor Sullivan’s feeling ill due to your lack of self-restraint lately?”

He raised an eyebrow.

She fumed at him, “…And this has little to do with being female or male!!”

Sam merely rolled his eyes, “Uh huh…”

“If anything,” she pressed out heatedly, “you lot of young men are nothing but brute pigs who only care about yourselves and your own source of satisfaction!!”

A pause went by before Sam’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “Aaaannnd the point?” His arms flew upwards into the air one more time before he whispered out: “You totally remind me of my last girlfriend...except for some reason, I find it so damn hot when you’re riled up like this...”

Oh for god’s sake…he wasn’t even going to deny this one?

She retracted her finger away from his chest as she stood as tall as she could while scowling at him. “You really make me want to bash your face in, Drake.”

“Noted, Miss Ross,” he stated plainly as he rolled up his dress shirt sleeves, “is there anything else I can do for you tonight, or did you want to order a side-dish of ass-kicking to go along with your low-carb yogurt?”

The air around them was silent before Nadine’s hands began shaking. It seemed as if her body was practically pleading and begging for the opportunity to lash out at him physically. She wasn’t sure how she kept her composure, however…she had every right to beat him senseless.

“What’re you doing here, Drake?” she bit back more insults as she willed herself to remain calm while she still could, “just go back and enjoy your little party!”

“You really think I’m havin’ fun, huh?” Sam snickered sarcastically, scratching the back of his head when Nadine took a step backwards, climbing the stairs one-at-a-time.

“I don’t care what you want to do anymore, Drake,” she gripped the handrail tightly, imagining strangling him instead, “just leave me out of it from now on.”

He approached as she made her way up onto the second-floor hallway, not giving up as he spat his words angrily at her.

“I know you care about me…” she whipped her head around and glared at him, but he continued, “and I care about you too.”

She shook her head, eager to get inside her own room, “Don’t flatter yourself, Drake,” she stood at her door, “contrary to what you might think, I despise you more than-”

He interrupted her with a heated kiss, silencing her effectively. Nadine stood frozen for a moment, but as soon as his lips were on hers, she was gone. Her anger had dissipated, and her frustrations and worries about Frau Lina had come to an end.

Perhaps Sam was right; maybe they needed to enjoy their last night together instead of worrying over the future…

After all, this was what they could do right now, and it felt a lot better than bickering or worrying about what tomorrow was going to bring.

She returned his kisses excitedly, biting on his lips desperately as she practically leapt up in his lap and wrapped her legs around his weight for purchase and support. He pressed her body against a closed door before moving her over to a wall, never breaking the kiss as he held onto her with strong arms.

Nadine felt Sam pressing her against a wall as he slid his hands down her body, and in no time, she began pushing him eagerly towards his own room down the hall. Their feet and bodies knew where they were headed, and neither of them wanted to stop to think about the consequences.

They needed to _feel_ each other, and that was good enough for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING!!! This is obviously gonna lead to sex looool* ;) Get readdyyyyy  
> And yes, Sully did just totally imply that Nadine should sleep with Sam before something (Naughty Dog forbid) happens to Sam and she is left with regret lol


	20. In His Embrace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: SMUT!!!*  
> It's so long awaited, though.

Once they were in his room, away from the rest of the world, Nadine cried out in relief. They knew they both had little time together, and Nadine allowed Sam to wrap her in his arms in a tight, warm embrace. She buried her face in his chest as her own arms encased him against her body tightly, but before she could close her eyes and enjoy their intimate hug, Sam broke them out of it.

He wasted no time in kissing her passionately and desperately while his hands were already working on taking her clothes off.

This time however, Nadine knew they wouldn’t be interrupted and bothered, and she helped him quicken the pace as she hurriedly unbuttoned his dress shirt, practically yanking it down and off his arms in one smooth motion.

Something ripped, but she wasn’t sure if it was Sam’s dress shirt, or her top, which Sam was easing off her body swiftly. She only responded in turn, clinging to him eagerly as she felt his warm, heated flesh against her own.

Her eagerness turned him on, and he growled deeply as he hungrily attacked her lips, but she was happy that he wasn’t stuffing his tongue down her throat; he was just pressing deep, intimate kisses to her lips over and over as he held her face in both his hands.

He was a very good kisser, and she wanted him to spoil her and lavish all sorts of attention onto her for hours on end. Never had she thought they would end up here like this, but she didn’t want it to stop at all.

Her face was flushed against his skin, and she blushed when she felt him pull her pants down before he unzipped his own. The sound of the zipper was loud in the room, but Nadine didn’t mind.

She heard Sam kicking the door shut, his fingers fumbling as he locked it quickly.

She almost wanted to giggle when he picked her up and gently threw her onto his bed. She moved herself to lie in the center as she looked up at him. His dress pants were hanging loosely on his hips, and he stepped out of them while she lay back dressed only in her black, lacey bra and panties.

Sam seemed to enjoy what he saw, and he kicked his clothing to the side as he pressed himself over her, resting his weight on two palms as his lips sought hers out.

It felt so damn good to finally have warm skin pressed directly over warm skin, and Nadine toyed with the elastic band of Sam’s boxers in a silent reminder that she wanted this as much as he did.

He took them off immediately once he caught onto her hint, and Nadine sighed as she threw her head back and closed her eyes in pleasure. She spread her legs slightly when he was back on top of her, kissing her neck as he played with a strap of her black bra.

She didn’t want to waste much time on foreplay, already as equally aroused as he was. Still, she let him trail kisses from one side of her chest to the other, lightly nipping her shoulders as he pushed her bra straps down with his nose and fingers.

Nadine moaned when he yanked her bra off and threw it to the floor, his fingers and tongue eagerly stroking and sucking her nipples.

Nadine wrapped her legs around his waist while he sucked her nipples until they were wet, stiff tips, and he pressed his aching, needy manhood between her legs, simply rubbing it back and forth along the damp center of her panties.

They were both in a lustful heaven, and Nadine hissed out in pleasure a few times when he was directly over her opening. She didn’t know how much control she had left when his hands fell down to her stomach, rubbing the muscles there back and forth a few times, simply massaging her gently.

He was handling her with so much emotion and care, and Nadine pressed warm, excited kisses to his cheeks as she ground her lower body against his.

Sam rocked against her, holding onto the back of her head as he dove deeply inside her mouth, his tongue touching the tip of hers before sliding along her lower lip.

Nadine was in a haze, and she lightly bit his lower lip, causing him to grab her left breast in a hand as he palmed it while groaning softly above her.

She loved how he sounded when he was aroused, and making a silent promise to herself to hear the noise again, she carefully wrapped both her legs around his body and rolled them over so Sam was on his back.

Nadine loved this change in position, and she grabbed both his hands and placed them over her breasts as she pressed herself over his hardness and simply rubbed it over her panties.

Sam winced as he grew harder beneath her, and Nadine felt it was enough of a tease for one night. She raised herself off his lap and pulled down her panties, finally. He nearly groaned wildly once his eyes feasted on the wetness between her legs. Before Nadine could place herself back down over his lap, Sam pushed her back and grabbed both her hands in his own.

He pressed her back down onto the mattress, yanking her legs open as he draped the right one over his shoulder. Her heel rested on his back, and Nadine gasped as she felt him pressing kisses on her stomach and abdomen. She knew where he was taking this, and she shook in anticipation and desperation when he licked and kissed her hipbones feverishly.

Oh how she wanted him to stop with the teasing, but she was unable to speak out coherent words as she whined and cried, digging her fingers in his hair as he made his tongue travel back and forth along the insides of one thigh before he turned his attention to the other.

The entire time, he was ignoring where she wanted his lips and tongue to be the most, and it was driving her up the walls. She willed herself not to press herself against his mouth, and she trusted that he would reward her for her patience...soon...

Sam was lost in worshipping her legs, kissing and licking practically all the way down to her ankle while he massaged the one resting currently over his shoulder.

Nadine dug her fingernails in his arms in a silent plea and warning, and he seemed to finally obey her as he brought himself back up between her legs.

He was facing her center, and Nadine closed her eyes when she felt the first touch of his lips and tongue against her wetness.

He was thorough with the use of his tongue, and he licked her slowly and gently, taking his time to map out her most sensitive areas. In no time, he learned what she liked, and how to angle his mouth and lips to slide and press against the more delicate parts of her flesh.

Nadine’s cries grew more and more desperate, and she was a hot, wet mess as she panted wildly on the bed. She didn’t know how much more of it she could take, but Sam stretched her with his fingers while he circled her most sensitive pink nub with the flick of his tongue a few times.

When he decided she’d had enough of it, he rose up and gently pushed her back until her head was at the other end of the bed. Making enough room for himself between her legs, he brought them both down to rest flatly on the mattress, and as Nadine watched him through half-lidded eyes, he turned to the side and pulled open a drawer of a night table by his bed.

She heard rustling before she saw him fish out a condom. He tore through its wrapper with his teeth, and Nadine had to suppress a laugh when she saw him drop the wrapper on the bed down by his knees. He carefully slid it over his excited, erect flesh while staring into her eyes intently.

She swallowed nervously when he’d stroked himself and carefully fitted the condom over himself before he pressed himself between her opening.

Nadine wanted to beg him to wait, but the lustful side of her told her to shut her mouth. She obeyed her instincts, and she pressed a hand over Sam’s broad chest, feeling right where his heart was beating. She imagined hers was pounding as wildly and quickly as his was, and she closed her eyes when he parted her folds and rubbed himself in small, slow circles. It was more teasing that she didn’t need, and she hissed at him to get on with it when he chuckled at her frustrations.

He leaned down over her, pressing a free hand on the top of her hair, stroking it softly as he carefully began entering her.

Nadine winced as her muscles were stretched. It had been so long that she practically considered this her ‘first time’. It was silly to think of it that way, but she had no choice given how carefully Sam was treating her. He practically held her like she was a virgin on her wedding night, slowly sliding inside her inch by inch as he bit back groans. She knew he wanted to make this about her; not him. This made her heart flow over with emotions, and she wrapped her hands around the back of his neck and pulled him down on top of her closer.

Nadine felt him burying himself inside her as much and as far as he could go, and while she exhaled a slightly pained breath, Sam waited patiently for her to adjust to his length. He played with her hair and softly kissed her forehead while she took her time, and he didn’t move until she initiated the first move.

Nadine gently moved her hips up against Sam in a soft experiment, and Sam followed, thrusting against her gently two times before he stopped and eagerly watched her face. He was looking for signs of pain or discomfort, and when Nadine didn’t present any, he finally moved against her a little firmly.

She moaned in appreciation, signaling to him that he was performing properly. He lost himself in the sounds of her soft cooing and moaning, keeping himself quiet enough to become even more aroused in the noises she made. Nadine stroked his back softly as she eagerly met thrust after thrust, searching for his lips as she begged for more kisses.

He gave her anything she wanted while he quickened the pace, their lovemaking finally causing the mattress to shift and groan beneath their weight.

Eventually, the headboard of the bed gently began rocking against the wall, and Nadine wrapped her legs tightly around Sam while he toyed with one of her nipples.

Eager to be back on top of him, she broke their kiss and rolled them both over carefully. He’d slipped out of her in the process, but before he could voice a complaint about it, Nadine straddled his hips and spread her legs while she carefully slid herself back down on his lap.

Sam’s head fell back onto the mattress in a soft ‘plop’, and he let out a deep, guttural groan once she guided his length inside her once more.

His muscles flexed as he grabbed her right hip while massaging her left breast, guiding her to gently move up and down in his lap while he raised his hips slightly. She could tell he was still trying to be extra cautious and gentle with her, and while she appreciated it, she knew her own body better than anyone else did. She wanted more, so she began bouncing up and down, riding him a little roughly.

It took him by surprise, and Sam’s fingers dug roughly into her hip as his biceps twitched and flexed involuntarily while he helped her balance her weight above him. He cried out her name a few times, his voice breaking off as his breaths died down in his throat.

She hushed him as she pressed both palms of her hands flatly down on his chest, riding him passionately as she held his body between her strong, toned thighs.

Their muscles felt powerful as they moved as one unit together, and it wasn’t long before Nadine felt her knees quaking as she sensed herself coming close to the end. She’d already promised herself many more moments like this with Sam Drake, already addicted to the way he felt inside her as he turned their bodies just perfectly until Nadine was practically in a sweaty, wet mess above him.

Her body was reacting nicely to him as she shivered and tightened around him. She gave her last bit of energy, finally feeling herself shaking one last time above him while he twitched against her. He was close to the edge as well, and he leaned up to hold her down onto him, their lips molding together as he kissed her deeply while groaning as he deeply let go.

Nadine didn’t remember ever having an orgasm as intense as this, and her lower half throbbed and ached when Sam held back another deep groan before he turned her over and pumped a few more times inside her before he stilled his movements.

His lips latched onto her neck as he panted and breathed like he’d been running for half an hour, and Nadine sighed in completion and satisfaction. She rubbed his shoulders and back as he kissed her all the way up to her forehead, not abandoning an inch of her skin until he was ready to move.

He rolled off her carefully, turning his back to her as he cleaned himself up and rearranged the sheets until they were both beneath them. He cradled Nadine to his chest, allowing her head to rest upon it while she pressed her ear over his heartbeat and listened to it in silence for some time.

Sam stroked her curly hair softly, every so often kissing the top of her head while she closed her eyes and let out a hum.

She heard him hum deeply in a sign of satisfaction as their carnal and physical needs had finally been satiated, “We should’ve done this much sooner…”

Nadine agreed happily. They’d both nearly succumbed to deep sleep, when Nadine suddenly realized something. She raised her head off Sam’s chest, swatting him lightly in the shoulder when she saw his closed eyes.

He growled in frustration, “I was nearly asleep!”

Ignoring his state of discomfort, she raised an eyebrow, “Why did you already have condoms?” She knew she had no real right to be jealous over him, but now that they’d done this, she considered him hers.

Sam rolled his eyes, “Isn’t it obvious?”

It wasn’t, and Nadine pinched one of his nipples, feeling tired enough not to be toyed with.

“OWWW!!!”

“Tell me,” she demanded, kissing the area apologetically while he frowned at her darkly.

He sighed as he turned his head to the side, “I wanted to do this for a while now with you and I just thought I’d be prepared in case that dream came true...” she saw a blush creeping across his face as she covered her bare chest with the sheets.

Oh.

She felt her heart racing again, and if she had been a little less exhausted, she would have prepared herself for a second round soon. But she was beyond exhausted, and all she could do was cup his chin in a hand as she pressed their lips together for a brief kiss.

Sam sighed softly into the kiss, moving away from their contact as he whispered: “There’ll be more times like this between us, right?”

Nadine stared deeply into his eyes as she kissed his forehead softly. How could she deny this man?

She laid her head back down on his chest, breathing through her nose and listening to his heartbeat as it slowed down, signaling he was almost asleep.

“Nadine...”

She didn’t want to keep him waiting any longer, and she smirked coyly while shutting her eyes.

“There’ll be many more like this, Sam...”

He hummed in appreciation.

“Many more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY THESE TWO KNUCKLEHEADS GOT TOGETHER!!!!!!! About time, eh guys?  
> Now if I could only beg Naughty Dog to write this scene and put it in the game....


End file.
